•'-• 


THKOUGH  CITIES  AND  PEAIKIE  LANDS. 


THEOUGH 

CITIES  AND  PRAIEIE  LANDS, 

r 

SKETCHES  OF  AN  AMERICAN  TOUR. 


BY 

LADY  DUFFUS  HAKDY. 


tVu^ 


LONDON: 
CHAPMAN    AND    HALL,    LIMITED, 

HENEIETTA  STEEET,  COVENT  GAEDEN. 

1881. 


PRINTED    BY   WILLIAM    CLOWES   AND  SONS,  LIMITED,  LONDON  AND    BECCLES. 


TO 

MRS.  WILLIAM  -HAY WOOD, 

IN   TOKEN 

OF     MY    AFFECTIONATE    KK<;Ai:i», 
I     DEDICATE 

THESE   PA<;KS. 


a  3 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ACROSS   THE    ATLANTIC. 

PACK 

Our  Good  Ship  Sardinian  —  At  Sea  —  Our  Companions  —  Their 
Amusements — The  Theorist — The  Phantom  Ship — Our  Last 
Night  on  Board  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

QUEBEC. 

Land  again — A  Quaint  Announcement — A  Gastronomical  Exhibition 
— A  Pleasant  Fireside — The  Convent — The  Heights  of  Abraham 
— Wolfe's  Monument — French  and  English  Canadians  ...  12 

CHAPTER  III. 

MONTREAL. 

The  Stolid  Indian— Mount  Royal— Sir  Hugh  Allan's  Home— The 

Banks— The  Windsor  Hotel  ...  ...  ...  ...       25 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    CAPITAL   OF   THE    DOMINION. 

River  Travelling — Trail    of    the  Fire  King — Ottawa — Parliament 

Buildings— The  City— The  Home  of  our  Princess      ...  ...       33 

CHAPTER  V. 

FROM   CITY   TO    CATARACT. 

On  the  Train — The  Thousand  Islands — At  Kingston — Toronto — 
The  Government  House — Arrival  of  the  Princess  Louise — "  We 
expect  the  Moon  " — Niagara  Falls  ...  ...  ...  ...  44 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    EMPIRE   CITY. 

PACK 

New  York— Fifth  Avenue— Madison  Square— The  Elevated  Rail- 
way—The Cars— The  Shops— The  People— West  Point  ...  56 

CHAPTER  VII. 

TO    THE    PHCENIX   CITY. 

We  Start— Our  Car— Our  Dressing-room— Chicago— Its  Park— The 

Palmer  House     ...  ...  ...  ...  •••  •••       67 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

WESTWARD    HO  ! 

Our  Travelling  Hotel— The  Prairies— The  Emigrant  Train— Bret 
Harte's  Heroes — Reception  of  General  Grant  in  the  Wild  West 
— "  See,  the  Conquering  Hero  comes  " — The  Procession  ...  75 

CHAPTER  IX. 

ACROSS    THE    ROCKY   MOUNTAINS. 

Our  Fellow-passengers — Unprotected  Females — Prairie  Dog  Land — 
A  Cosy  Interior — Cheyenne — The  Rocky  Mountains — "  Castles 
not  made  by  Hands " — Ogden  ...  ...  ...  ...  86 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE    CITY   OF   THE    SAINTS. 

Salt     Lake — Our     Mormon     Conductor— Mormon     Wives — Their 

Daughters — Their  Recruits — Their  Agricultural  Population    ...       97 

CHAPTER  XI. 

AMONG   THE    MORMONS. 

Society — A  Mormon  Wife's  View — The  Shops — Amelia  Palace — 
The  Tabernacle— The  Organ— Endowment  House— A  Mormon 
Widow— Currency  in  the  Old  Days— The  Elders  hold  forth  ...  108 

CHAPTER  XII. 

ACROSS    THE    SIERRAS. 

Ogden  Station — Bustling  Bedtime — Boots — An  Invasion — A  Wedding 
Aboard — The  American  Desert — The  Glorious  Sierras — Cape 
Horn— Dutch  Flats— "  Here  they  are  !  "—A  Phantom  City  ...  112 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   GOLDEN   CITY. 

PAGE 

The  Streets— Kaleidoscopic  Scenes— The  Stock  Boards— Wild  Cat 
—Bulls  and  Bears  — The  Markets— The  "  Dummy  "—Lone 
Mountain  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  134 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   OLD    MISSION. 

The  Windmills— The  Golden  Gate  Park— The  Seal  Rock— The  Cliff 

House — The  Mission  Dolores          ...  ...  ...  ...     146 

CHAPTER  XV. 

SOME   SAN   FRANCISCO   WAYS   AND   CUSTOMS. 

Street  Architecture — Curiosities  of  Climate — Brummagem  Baronets 

—The  Sand  Lot — The  Forty-niners—"  Society  Ladies  "  ...     153 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    FLOWERY   KINGDOM. 

A  Visit  to  Chinatown — Its  General  Aspect — A  Tempting  Display — 
Barbers'  Shops — A  Chinese  Restaurant — Their  Joss  House — 
Their  Gods  166 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

A   WORLD    UNDERGROUND. 

The  Pawnbroker's   Shop  — The  Opium   Dens  — The  Smokers— A 

World  within  a  World— The  Women's  Quarters         ...  ...     177 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

CHINESE   AMUSEMENTS. 

Gambling  Dens — Theatres — An  Acrobatic  Performance — New  Year's 
Visits— The  Bride— The  Hoodlum— A  Scare— The  Matron's 
Pretty  Feet  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  185 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

CHRISTMAS   ON   A  CALIFORNIAN   RANCHE. 

Old    Friends— The    Ranche— Christmas    Day— Salinas   Valley— A 

Magic  City — A  Calif ornian  Sunset ...  ...  ...  ...     197 


THROUGH  CITIES  AND  PRAIRIE  LANDS, 


CHAPTER  I. 

ACROSS    THE   ATLANTIC. 

Our  Good  Ship  Sardinian — At  Sea — Our  Companions — Their 
Amusements — The  Theorist — The  Phantom  Ship — Our  Last 
Night  on  Board. 

IT  is  the  grey  dawn  of  a  July  day ;  we  are  up  with  the 
sun,  nay,  before  the  sun,  eager  to  start  on  our  first 
Atlantic  voyage.  In  order  to  avoid  the  hurry  and 
bustle  of  a  crowded  Liverpool  hotel,  I  and  my  com- 
panion, for  we  are  two,  had  resolved  to  start  by  the 
first  train,  and  go  direct  on  board.  Therefore,  at  six 
o'clock  on  this  bright  July  morning,  we  arrive  at 
Euston  Square  station,  and  there  find  a  host  of  friends, 
who,  in  spite  of  the  early  hour,  have  gathered  to  bid  us 
"  God  Speed."  They  are  all  gift-laden  ;  one  brings 
books  and  bonbons,  another  a  basket  of  rich  ripe  straw- 
berries, then  a  patent  corkscrew  and  telescope  is  thrust 
into  my  hand,  and  last,  though  not  least,  just  as  the 
train  is  moving  out  of  the  station,  one  late  arrival 
breathlessly  gasps  "  Good-bye  "  and  flings  a  packet  of 
pins,  a  box  of  matches,  and  a  cake  of  scented  soap  in 
at  the  window. 


THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

At  Liverpool  the  little  steam-tug  was  in  waiting 
to  convey  us  to  the  vessel,  which  lay  a  short  distance 
from  the  landing  stage.  It  was  a  lovely  July  day ; 
the  sun  was  blooming,  like  a  flower  of  light,  in  the 
bright  blue  skies,  the  tiny  waves  danced  'and  mur- 
mured joyously  as  they  ran  rippling  along  the  shore, 
and  the  soft  balmy  air,  laden  "  with  the  briny  kisses 
of  the  great  sweet  mother,"  greeted  us  with  invigor- 
ating breath  as  we  steamed  across  and  stepped  on 
board  the  good  ship  Sardinian,  ready  to  face  the 
fearful  ten  days  which  we  had  so  often  anticipated 
with  shivering  and  shudderings  at  our  cosy  fireside. 

There  was  a  hurried  hand-shaking.  "Good-byes" 
and  parting  words  resounded  on  all  sides  of  us,  uttered 
in  varied  shades  of  feeling,  some  with  a  choking  sob  as 
of  friends  who  would  never  meet  again,  others  with 
hearty  cheerful  voices,  as  though  they  were  bound  for 
young  life's  first  holiday.  Presently  stentorian  lungs 
shouted  "all  for  the  shore,"  departing  friends  and 
relatives  swarmed  down  the  steep  wooden  wall  of  the 
vessel ;  we  all  rushed  to  the  side,  nods  and  smiles  "  that 
were  half  tears"  were  freely  exchanged,  last  words 
were  shouted  from  one  to  the  other,  and  amid  the 
waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  echoing  voices,  the  little 
steam-tug  which  had  brought  the  passengers  on  board 
went  shrieking  and  snorting  back  .to  the  shore,  and  our 
great  ship  steamed  majestically  up  the  Mersey,  out 
towards  the  obnoxious  Irish  Channel ;  some  weak- 
minded  mortals  started  with  a  hazy  idea  that  if  the 
Channel  treated  them  too  roughly,  they  could,  if  they 
pleased,  land  at  Moville,  and  so  bid  "  adieu "  to  the 
horrors  of  the  sea  for  ever ;  but  that  was  a  cowardly 
idea  which  I  never  encouraged  for  a  moment. 


ACROSS    THE    ATLANTIC.  3 

My  first  idea  was  to  take  a  survey  of  my  fellow- 
passengers.  There  were  plenty  of  them ;  as  a  rule  they 
were  mere  commonplace  specimens  of  humanity,  such 
as  nature  turns  out  by  thousands,  with  no  distinctive 
mark,  but  merely  labelled  "men"  and  "women." 
There  were  exceptions  of  course.  One  was  an  elderly 
hard-featured  man,  bronzed  and  weather-beaten,  with 
keen  gray  eyes,  which  looked  as  though  they  could 
detect  a  spot  on  the  face  of  the  sun  without  the  aid  of 
glasses,  and  so  searching  that,  like  the  east,  wind,  they 
could  reach  the  marrow  at  a  single  blow.  But  my 
attention  was  most  attracted  by  a  very  young  and  very 
beautiful  widow ;  beautiful,  so  far  as  grace  of  form, 
regularity  of  feature,  and  soft  colouring  was  concerned, 
but  the  beauty  of  her  face  was  utterly  destroyed  by  its 
expression,  which  may  be  briefly  catalogued  as  "  evil." 
She  looked  like  a  woman  who  had  got  a  story,  and  not 
a  pleasant  one.  No  accompanying  friends  had  bid  her 
"  good-bye,"  or  "  good  speed."  She  was  alone,  but  she 
did  not  seem  lonely.  She  carried  a  child  about  a  year 
old  in  her  arms,  and  marched  up  and  down  the  deck, 
looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left,  till  the 
gong  sounded  and  we  all  went  down  to  dinner ;  but 
before  the  table  could  be  satisfactorily  arranged  the 
question  arose,  "  What  was  to  become  of  the  baby  ?  " 
At  last  a  young  Scotchman  volunteered  to  immolate 
himself  on  the  altar  of  beauty,  and  held  out  his  arms 
for  the  child ;  she  gave  it  without  a  word,  and  he  dis- 
appeared up  the  companion-way,  holding  it  upside 
down,  which  awkwardness  may  perhaps  be  excused, 
considering  that  was  the  first  time  he  had  officiated  in 
the  capacity  of  dry-nurse. 

The  gilded  glories  of  the  saloon  were  a  surprise  to 


4  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

me,  as  this  was  the  first  time  I  had  been  on  an  Atlantic 
steamer.  Of  course,  in  common  with  the  world 
generally,  I  had  heard  of  the  luxurious  arrangements 
and  admirably  served  table  on  board  those  magnificent 
vessels ;  but  I  had  yet  to  learn  how  luxury  and  com- 
fort combined  could  make  that  floating  world  a  pleasant 
ten  days'  home.  The  dreaded  voyage  turned  out 
delightfully.  The  Irish  Channel  behaved  beautifully, 
literally  "  it  broke  into  dimples  and  laughed  in  the 
sun,"  as  its  rippling  waves  ran  dancing  round  the 
prow  and  along  the  black  sides  of  our  vessel,  gurgling 
and  murmuring  in  smothered  tones  as  though  they 
were  enjoying  a  joke,  exulting  in  their  hidden  strength, 
knowing  that  their  pleasant  playful  mood  might  pass 
and  their  tiny  wavelets  grow  into  mountains  and  uplift 
us  in  their  giant  arms  and  toss  us  up  to  the  moon,  or 
crush  our  huge  iron-hearted  home  like  an  eggshell,  and 
swallow  us  all  up.  On  we  went,  cutting  a  rapid  way 
through  the  calm  waters ;  the  daylight  and  the  land 
together  faded  from  our  sight,  the  stars  came  out,  and 
as  the  silent  night  closed  slowly  around  us,  merry 
laughing  voices  sank  into  quiet  sober  tones.  We 
seemed  to  realize  the  fact  that  we  were  alone  on  the 
wide  world  of  waters — the  same  living  restless  waters 
whereon  Christ  had  walked,  and  whose  waves  he  had 
bidden  "  Peace,  be  still."  We  retired  to  our  cosy  little 
stateroom  early,  and  slept  as  we  had  never  dreamed 
we  could  sleep  on  our  first  night  at  sea,  our  slumbers 
soothed,  not  broken,  by  the  musical  "  Yo,  heave,  ho !  " 
of  the  sailors  ;  and  the  steady  monotonous  "  thud,  thud  " 
of  the  engine  had  a  by  no  means  unpleasant  effect  on 
our  drowsily  unaccustomed  ears.  When  we  awoke  in 
the  morning  we  found  ourselves,  not  tossing,  but 


ACROSS   THE   ATLANTIC.  5 

gliding  calmly  over  the  "  wild  Atlantic  waves,"  which 
were  rolling  round  us  on  all  sides  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  a  world  of  palpitating  waters,  unruffled 
and  smooth  as  the  bosom  of  a  lake.  For  three  days 
this  calm  continued.  The  masculine  element  grew 
turbulent  and  rebelled  against  this  unnatural  state  of 
things ;  there  was  something  wrong  about  it  altogether; 
even  the  "  rolling  forties,"  from  whom  some  show  of 
spirit  was  expected,  forgot  to  do  their  duty,  and  allowed 
us  to  ride,  over  them  without  a  protesting  blow ;  their 
wild  white  horses  were  stabled  in  the  caves  below,  and 
with  all  sails  set,-  a  brisk  breeze  following  in  our  wake, 
and  the  briny  kisses  of  the  "  great  sweet  mother "  on 
our  faces,  we  scudded  along  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  knots 
an  hour.  We  female  passengers  thoroughly  appreciated 
the  stormless  sea,  and  paced  up  and  down  the  deck 
chatting  and  exchanging  harmless  confidences ;  the 
gentlemen  tried  to  beguile  the  time  with  ring-toss  and 
shovel-board.  When  they  grew  tired  of  such  harmless 
occupations  they  got  up  a  walking  match,  or  ran  half- 
mile  races  round  the  deck,  and,  indeed,  in  every  way 
did  their  best  to  scare  away  ennui,  and  make  the  mono- 
tonous days  and  hours  pass  pleasantly ;  for  after  the 
first  novelty  of  the  scene  is  over,  skies  of  eternal 
changeless  blue  and  calm  summer  seas  are  apt  to  grow 
monotonous,  and  a  thunderstorm  or  a  howling  hurricane, 
"  warranted  harmless,"  would  have  created  a  pleasant 
diversion.  However,  on  the  whole,  time  passed 
pleasantly  enough  ;  we  were  all  sociably  inclined,  and 
lived  on  strictly  communistic  principles,  in  a  general 
exchange  of  civilities.  Everybody  was  welcome  to  the 
belongings  of  everybody  else ;  we  used  each  other's 
chairs,  rugs,  wraps,  and  even  made  occasional  walking 


6  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

sticks  of  one  another's  husbands,  and  when  we  had 
nothing  else  to  do  indulged  in  a  game  of  speculation 
concerning  the  "  widow,"  who  held  herself  aloof,  in  a 
state  of  as  complete  isolation  as  though  she  had  been 
on  a  desert  island ;  she  accepted  courtesies  without  a 
word  of  thanks,  or  refused  them  with  an  impatient 
gesture,  till  the  chivalrous  spirit  of  the  gentlemen 
flickered  and  died  out,  and  as  she  resented  any  offer  of 
assistance,  she  was  left  to  stagger  about  the  deck  at  her 
pleasure.  The  child  was  the  pet  and  plaything  of 
everybody  on  board ;  the  mother  seemed  willing  to 
ignore  its  existence,  and  gave  it  only  a  kind  of  wooden 
automatic  attention  at  best.  Nothing  attracted  or 
interested  her,  and  the  beautiful  dark  face  became  a 
weird  strange  mystery  to  us.  We  grew  accustomed  to 
see  the  tall  lithe  figure  pacing  silently  to  and  fro  like  a 
shadowy  ghost  in  the  gloaming ;  for  long  after  the  day- 
light faded  and  the  evening  closed  in  she  continued  her 
monotonous  round,  like  a  perturbed  spirit  that  could 
know  no  rest. 

We  had  a  theorist  on  board,  too,  who  by  a  sheer 
habit  of  aggravation  kept  us  lively.  His  theory  was 
starvation.  Nobody  ought  to  be  sick,  nobody  ought 
to  be  hungry;  he  pounced  upon  everybody  with  an 
appetite  of  even  the  most  moderate  dimensions. 

"  My  dear  madam,"  he  said  in  deprecating  tones, 
addressing  an  elderly  lady  who  was  modestly  picking 
a  chicken-bone,  "  you  are  committing  an  outrage  upon 
nature ;  she  doesn't  require  that  chicken-bone." 

"  I  must  eat  to  support  life,"  said  the  lady  apolo- 
getically. 

"  Bah  !  you  can  support  life  on  the  backbone  of  a 
bloater  ;  as  I  say,  you  are  outraging  nature,  forcing 


ACROSS    THE    ATLANTIC.  7 

things  upon  her  that  she  doesn't  want,  and  she  will 
revenge  herself  by  disturbing  your  digestion  and  de- 
pressing your  spirits." 

"  My  spirits  are  always  depressed ;  I  don't  know 
what  it  is  to  be  cheerful  now"  she  answered  in  a 
lachrymose  tone. 

"  Of  course  not.  An  overloaded  stomach  acts  like 
a  weight  to  keep  the  spirits  down.  Look  at  me,"  he 
added,  slapping  his  ample  chest  and  outstretching  his 
brawny  arm,  "  Pm  strong  and  healthy ;  I  nourish 
myself  upon — next  to  nothing,  and  I'm  never  hungry — 
never  depressed." 

"  Ah,  sir  !  "  she  answered,  shaking  her  head  with  a 
tear  in  her  eye,  "  if  you  were  in  my  place  yould  never 
be  anything  else  ;  but  you  don't  know  what  it  is  to 
lose  your  life's  partner." 

"  Don't  I  ?  Why,  I've  buried  two !  This  is  my 
third  venture."  He  jerked  his  head  towards  a  fair 
pale  little  woman,  whose  appetite  was  evidently  under 
his  control.  "  Why,  when  I  first  married  my  little 
wife  there,"  he  added,  regarding  her  affectionately, 
"  she  used  to  eat  three  meals  a  day  ;  now  she  is  reduced 
to  one." 

"  By  the  time  you  have  reduced  her  to  half  a  meal, 
perhaps,  she'll  give  you  a  chance  of  experimenting  on 
a  fourth,"  suggested  my  companion ;  which  obser- 
vation our  theorist  did  not  choose  to  hear,  but  sauntered 
on,  threatening  one  with  apoplexy,  scaring  another 
with  visions  of  sudden  death;  investing  every- 
body with  the  "ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to,"  the  one 
inheritance  that  nobody  is  in  a  hurry  to  possess.  Lob- 
ster salad  was  alive  with  horrible  nightmares,  and 
delirium  tremens  bubbled  in  the  glass  of  sparkling 


8  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

Moet  and  Chandon.  On  all  sides  his  theory  was 
greeted  with  goodhumoured  derision,  and  occasioned 
much  merriment,  and  though  there  was  little  wit, 
there  was  much  laughter  among  us.  At  last  a  living 
contradiction  to  his  theory  stepped  out  from  the  com- 
panion-way in  the  person  of  a  fair-complexioned  young 
Englishman,  a  perfect  athlete,  broad-chested,  strong- 
limbed,  a  "  crisp  and  curled  Antony,"  brimming  over 
with  the  healthful  vigour  and  vitality  of  young  manhood; 
he  could  run,  row,  leap,  ride,  and  in  every  manly  sport 
had  kept  to  the  fore. 

"  Look  at  me,"  he  said,  "  /  eat  four  square  meals  a 
day,  and,  perhaps,  put  more  roast  beef  out  of  sight 
than  anybody  here  ;  but  do  /  look  like  a  wreck  ?  Just 
feel  my  biceps." 

"  My  good  fellow,"  said  our  theorist,  regarding  him 
with  grave  compassionate  interest,  "  you  have  a  good 
constitution  ;  you  are  doing  your  best — but — you  have 
not  had  time  to  ruin  it  yet." 

Our  vessel  carried  a  hundred  and  fifty  steerage 
passengers,  with  whom  we  had  many  a  pleasant  chat 
on  the  forecastle  deck ;  some  hoped  to  ply  their  trade 
in  the  cities,  some  were  going  up  the  country.  "  We 
can  get  plenty  of  land  there,  and  never  a  stiver  to  pay 
for  it,"  said  one  burly  man,  with  a  large  family  of 
small  children.  Somebody  suggested  that  the  United 
States  offered  a  wider  field  and  less  difficulties.  "  That 
may  be,"  he  answered,  "  but  I  don't  want  to  cut  myself 
adrift  from  the  old  country ;  I  mean  my  children  and 
their  children  after  'em,  please  God,  to  grow  up  under 
the  British  flag.  The  stars  and  stripes  are  very  well  in 
their  way,  but  the  Union  Jack's  good  enough  for  me." 
That  was  the  general  feeling  among  the  emigrant 


ACROSS    THE    ATLANTIC.  9 

classes ;  the  vast  uncultivated  lands  of  the  United  States 
might  offer  better  fortune,  but,  they  would  not  cut 
themselves  adrift  from  the  "  old  country." 

Our  captain  read  prayers  in  the  steerage  night  and 
morning,  but  we  first-class  sinners  had  a  religious 
service  on  Sundays  only.  Every  evening  such  sailors 
as  were  not  on  duty  gathered  in  the  forecastle,  and  the 
captain  gave  them  an  extemporaneous  sermon,  in 
forcible  homely  language  best  suited  to  their  compre- 
hension, and  allowed  them  to  indulge  in  a  goodly 
sprinkling  of  Moody  and  Sankey's  hymns.  It  was  a 
strange  and  rather  a  weird  scene,  that  narrow  fore- 
castle, with  bunks  all  round,  the  long  oak  table,  lit  with 
tiny  oil  lamps,  flickering  up  in  the  swart  grimy  faces 
of  the  men,  as  they  united  their  voices — and  with  all 
their  hearts,  or  at  least  with  all  their  lungs — in  praises 
or  thanksgiving,  as  they  tramped  on  their  "  March  to 
Canaan's  Land  "  or  lingered  round  the  gates  of  "  Je- 
rusalem the  Golden." 

In  a  pleasant  desultory  fashion  the  eventful  days 
passed  on,  the  smallest  thing  affording  us  great  diver- 
sion ;  once  a  shoal  of  porpoises  gambolled  beside  the 
vessel,  tumbling  and  rolling  over  one  another  in  their 
fishlike  frolics ;  then  a  school  of  whales  passed  within 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  us,  uplifting  their  huge  heads, 
and  creating  a  series  of  waterspouts  by  the  way.  Our 
route  was  so  far  north  that  no  other  vessel  had  hitherto 
crossed  our  path ;  we  seemed  to  have  the  sea  all  to 
ourselves.  One  morning  the  exclamation  went  round, 
"  A  sail  in  sight ; "  we  flew  to  the  bulwarks,  but 
nothing  was  visible  to  our  unaccustomed  eyes ;  we 
watched,  eagerly  straining  our  eyes  in  the  direction 
indicated  ;  by  degrees  a  kind  of  phantom  ship,  with  all 


10  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

sails  set,  loomed  upon  our  sight ;  it  seemed  to  hang  sus- 
pended on  the  very  edge  of  the  world  between  sea  and 
sky.  We  watched  it  breathlessly;  but  it  came  no 
nearer,  no  clearer.  Shrouded  in  mist,  like  a  spectral 
illusion,  it  remained  a  few  moments  in  sight,  and  then 
disappeared  as  mysteriously  as  it  came,  and  once  more 
we  were  alone  on  the  wide  desolate  sea.  That  evening 
we  had  a  splendid  sunset ;  the  whole  of  the  western 
skies  were  draped  with  crimson,  lighted  up  with  flames 
of  gold.  We  watched  its  kaleidoscopic  glories  change  ; 
one  brilliant  colour  fading  into  and  amalgamating  with 
another,  till  the  whole  horizon  was  a  gorgeous  mass  of 
rose-tinted  purple  and  green  and  gold,  which  presently 
broke  up,  and  drifted,  and  re-formed  till  the  pale  dim 
skies  were  filled  with  floating  islands  of  fire.  We 
literally  felt  as  though  we  were  sailing  "into  the  land 
beyond  the  sunset  seas,  the  islands  of  the  blest." 

On  the  evening  of  the  eighth  day  we  sighted  Father 
Point,  and  sent  up  a  rocket  to  summon  a  pilot  from  the 
shore;  three  rockets,  red,  white,  and  blue,  went 
whizzing  through  the  air  in  answer — "  coming."  In 
another  moment  a  white  light,  like  a  gigantic  glow- 
worm came  creeping  along  the  face  of  the  water,  nearer 
and  nearer,  till  the  plish-plashing  of  oars  brought  a 
cockleshell  of  a  boat  alongside,  and  the  pilot,  with  the 
agility  of  a  cat,  climbed  up  the  huge  black  side  of  the 
vessel  and  leapt  over  the  bulwarks  on  to  the  deck. 

Our  pilot  embarked,  we  were  soon  on  our  way 
again.  After  the  long  uneventful  days  and  nights,  the 
slightest  occurrence  amused  and  interested  us,  and  that 
day,  to  our  unoccupied  minds,  seemed  crammed  with 
adventures.  As  we  paced  the  deck  chatting  and  laugh- 
ing, some  warbling  or  singing  snatches  of  old  songs, 


ACROSS    THE    ATLANTIC.  11 

we  were  startled  by  the  appearance  of  a  huge  black 
mass,  which  seemed  to  grow  mysteriously  out  of  the 
darkness,  with  many-coloured  lights  swinging  in  the 
empty  air.  It  was  the  steam-tug  which  had  come  off 
from  Eimouski  for  mails  and  such  passengers  as  de- 
sired to  go  on  to  Lower  Canada;  the  lights  swung  from 
the  shrouds  and  rigging  of  the  vessel,  and  shone  down 
with  a  weird  effect  upon  the  bustling  scene  below. 
There  was  a  general  commotion ;  impatient  friends 
had  come  on  board  to  meet  their  relatives ;  one  after 
another  eager  faces  swarmed  over  the  bulwarks,  and 
welcoming  exclamations  and  hearty  handshakings 
and  embraces  followed  their  appearance ;  the  pleasant 
greetings  of  the  genial  happy  voices  cast  a  momentary 
cloud  over  our  spirits  ;  our  thoughts  flew  homeward  ; 
we  knew  it  would  be  long  before  familiar  faces  and 
friendly  voices  could  give  us  greeting,  and  we  half 
envied  our  fellow-passengers  their  welcome  to  what  to 
us  was  an  unknown  land.  But  in  the  unknown  there 
is  always  a  mysterious  attraction,  and  before  the  little 
steam-tug  was  well  out  of  sight  we  were  again  buoy- 
antly pacing  the  deck,  with  never  a  thought  or  care 
beyond  the  present.  It  was  a  lovely  night ;  the  stars, 
such  big  blazing  stars,  shone  down  like  angels'  eyes 
through  the  dark-blue  sky ;  the  waves  sparkled  and 
danced  beneath  the  light  of  the  planet  Jupiter,  which 
shone  like  a  baby  moon  upon  the  dark  face  of  the 
water.  We  were  all  too  nervously  excited  to  care  for 
rest  that  night.  We  lingered  long  upon  the  deck,  and 
at  last  disappeared  one  by  one  down  the  companion- 
way,  our  captain's  cheery  voice  assuring  us  "we  should 
sight  Quebec  in  the  morning." 


12  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

QUEBEC. 

Land  again — A  Quaint  Announcement — A  Gastronomical  Exhibi- 
tion—A Pleasant  Fireside — The  Convent — The  Heights  of 
Abraham — Wolfe's  Monument — French  and  English  Canadians. 

THE  next  day  we  were  up  early,  and  went  on  deck  in 
time  to  see  the  first  rosy  flush  break  from  the  east,  and 
creep  over  the  cool  gray  dawn.  It  deepened,  and 
widened,  and  spread,  till  the  golden  sun  rose  slowly, 
and  took  possession  of  the  pale  blue  skies,  casting  his 
lance-like  beams  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  tinging  all 
things  above  and  below  with  his  heavenly  alchemy,  but 
concentrating  his  light,  like  a  crown  of  glory,  on  the 
beautiful  city  which  loomed  slowly  upon  our  sight  out 
of  the  shadowy  distance. 

With  straining  eyes  we  watched  to  catch  the  first 
view  of  Quebec.  We  had  heard  of  it,  read  of  it,  knew 
of  all  the  vicissitudes  it  had  undergone,  had  looked 
upon  its  pictured  beauty  scores  of  times ;  but  now  the 
reality  was  before  us,  and  the  picturesque  beauty  of  its 
appearance  fully  realized,  if  it  did  not  exceed,  our  ex- 
pectations. How  few^things  in  this  world  ever  do  that ! 
Something  was  no  doubt  owing  to  the  extreme  beauty 
of  the  morning,  the  clearness  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
the  glowing  sunlight  that  gilded  the  tall  spires,  flecked 


QUEBEC.  13 

the  sloping  housetops,  till  the  china  roofs  sparkled  and 
flashed  like  a  world  of  broken  diamonds.  Slowly  we 
steamed  up  the  St.  Lawrence  towards  our  goal.  It  was 
good  to  see  land  at  last.  The  soft,  picturesque  river 
scenery  spread  like  a  panoramic  view  on  either  side  of 
us  —  luxuriant,  grassy  mounds  and  meadows  came 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  pretty  villages  were  dotted 
about  here  and  there,  with  a  background  of  swelling 
hills,  which  rose  higher  and  higher  till  they  were  lost 
in  the  pine  forests  beyond.  The  distant  jingle  of  the 
church  bells  broke  pleasantly  on  our  ears  after  the  long 
monotonous  plish-plashing  of  the  waves.  On  our  left 
rose  Pont  Levis,  a  busy  place  or  collection  of  houses, 
churches  and  manufactories,  creeping  up  a  lofty  hill 
almost  as  imposing  to  look  at  as  Quebec  itself,  and 
with  a  tolerable  amount  of  historical  associations  too, 
though  they  have  been  swallowed  up  in  the  more 
prominent  facts  of  its  more  beautiful  and  picturesque 
neighbour.  It  was  at  Pont  Levis  that  the  military 
authorities  bided  their  time,  and  held  their  discussions, 
and  arranged  their  manoeuvres  before  carrying  them 
into  effect ;  and  it  was  there  that  General  Wolfe  waited 
and  chafed  impatiently  for  the  gray  dawn  which  gave 
him  victory  and  death. 

We  disembarked  at  Pont  Levis,  and  were  ferried 
across  the  river  to  Quebec.  There  our  pleasant  party 
drifted  away  in  different  directions,  some  going  north, 
some  going  south ;  there  was  much  handshaking,  many 
good  wishes,  and  hopes  to  meet  again.  We  were  very 
sorry  to  part  with  our  theorist,  who,  with  his  delicate 
young  wife,  went  on  his  homeward  way  to  Maine, 
where  we  promised  to  pay  them  a  visit  before  our  tour 
was  ended.  At  the  landing-stage,  a  forlorn-looking  place 


14  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

in  a  most  dilapidated  condition,  we  were  surrounded 
by  a  clamorous  crowd  of  Irish  and  French,  who  made 
a  raid  upon  our  small  baggage,  and  struggled  manfully 
as  to  who  should  bear  it  off.  However,  while  we  were 
looking  helplessly  around,  we  were  rescued  by  the 
timely  advent  of  the  hotel  proprietor,  who,  through 
the  thoughtful  kindness  of  our  captain,  had  been 
notified  of  our  arrival,  and  had  come  down  on  the 
look-out  for  us.  He  thrust  the  rabble  to  the  right  and 
to  the  left,  handed  us  into  a  caleche  which  he  had  in 
waiting,  and  in  another  moment  we  were  bowling 
along  through  the  lower  market-place,  on  our  way  to 
the  St.  Louis  Hotel.  With  reckless  speed  we  rattled 
up  the  steep,  stony  streets,  the  breath  almost  jostled 
out  of  our  bodies,  and  clutching  one  another  wildly  in 
our  endeavour  to  keep  steady, — on  across  the  upper 
and  more  aristocratic  market-square,  which  is  sur- 
rounded by  large  handsome  shops,  past  the  puritanical- 
looking  Cathedral,  a  plain,  barnlike  building  with  a 
tall  tapering  spire,  and  were  at  length  deposited  safely 
at  the  door  of  the  St.  Louis  Hotel,  a  commodious  and 
comfortable  place  enough  for  a  temporary  resting-place. 
"We  were  at  once  shown  into  a  room  on  an  upper  floor, 
having  a  beautiful  view  of  the  town  and  river.  We 
looked  down  upon  a  congregation  of  towers,  turrets, 
steeples,  and  housetops,  with  the  Laval  Museum  stand- 
ing out  the  chief  feature  below,  and  the  Convent  of 
Gray  Nuns  standing  square  and  gloomy  on  the  hill 
above.  Having  taken  a  brief  look  around,  we  in- 
quired : 

"  When  does  the  dinner-bell  ring  ?  " 

"  Sure  thin,  there's  no  dinner-bell  at  all!"  answered 
a  stout  Irish  lass. 

' 


QUEBEC.  15 

"  How  shall  we  know  when  it  is  dinner-time  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yez'll  know  ;    e  'oilers." 

She  disappeared,  leaving  us  slightly  puzzled  as  to 
who  would  'oiler.  We  waited  a  few  minutes,  and 
then  sure  enough,  he  did  "  'oiler."  A  pair  of  sten- 
torian lungs  shouted  through  all  the  corridors,  "Din- 
ner !  dinner ! "  The  voice  dwindled  away,  and  went 
wandering  in  ghostly  echoes  to  remote  corners  and 
distant  chambers,  circulating  the  fact  in  this  most 
primitive  fashion  that  dinner  was  served.  Having 
eaten  and  drank  for  the  last  ten  days  under  difficul- 
ties, never  being  quite  sure  that  our  soup  would  not 
find  its  way  into  our  pockets,  or  our  chicken  fly  into 
our  faces,  and  obstinately  refuse  to  be  driven  into  our 
mouths,  it  was  pleasant  to  find  ourselves  comfortably 
seated  at  a  table  that  wouldn't  turn  a  somersault  on  its 
own  account,  or  send  the  crockery  flying  about  our  ears. 
There  were  specimens  of  many  nationalities  at  table, 
with  a  fair  sprinkling  of  the  gentle  Canadians  them- 
selves ;  and  here  began  a  gastronomical  exhibition.  As 
a  rule  (of  course  there  are  exceptions)  people  did  npt 
eat,  they  bolted;  flung  their  food  into  their  mouths,  and 
sent  their  knives  after  it  to  see  that  it  was  all  right. 
Seated  opposite  to  me  was  a  round,  bullet-headed  man, 
like  a  monk,  "  all  shaven  and  shorn,"  with  large  ears, 
which  seemed  to  grow  out  of  his  head,  not  on  it,  and  a 
large  loose  mouth,  that  looked  as  though  it  could  never 
tighten,  and  had  no  idea  of  ever  shutting  itself  firmly ; 
but  oh!  so  much  went  into  it!  He  surrounded  him- 
self with  the  whole  bill  of  fare,  and  then  "  fell  to," 
demolishing  one  thing  after  another,  till  I  fancied  he 
must  have  a  fit  of  apoplexy  or — burst.  He  handled 
his  eating  utensils  with  such  marvellous  dexterity,  that 


16  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

when  his  knife  flashed  in  the  air  and  disappeared  down 
his  throat,  I  watched  for  it  to  come  out  at  the  hack  of 
his  head ;  hut  no  !  it  always  came  back.  "Well,  they 
are  used  to  playing  with  edged  tools  this  side  of  the 
water,  and  provided  they  do  not  compel  me  to  join  the 
game  I  am  content. 

The  next  morning  we  received  a  visit  from  the 
Sanitary  Inspector  (who  had  been  introduced  to  us 
when  he  boarded  our  vessel  for  our  bill  of  health). 
He  came  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  daughters  on 
hospitable  thoughts  intent.  We  were  quite  at  home 
with  one  another  in  half  an  hour,  nay  in  ten  minutes, 
and  in  their  pleasant  home  we  spent  many  evening 
hours.  It  was  a  musical  household ;  the  young  daugh- 
ters, with  fine  contralto  and  mezzo-soprano  voices, 
warmed  our  hearts  with  some  of  the  sweet  home  songs 
which  we  thought  we  had  left  behind  us.  Our  captain, 
too,  while  he  was  on  shore,  occasionally  dropped  in  and 
enlivened  us  with  the  patriotic  ditties  in  which  our 
souls  delighted.  Our  mutual  favourite  was  the  thril- 
ling ballad  of  the  "  Slave  Ship."  He  would  bring  his 
hand  down  with  a  crash  upon  the  ivory  keys,  and 
send  a  shrieking  shiver  through  the  chords  as  he 
triumphantly  announced  : 

"  There's  always  death  to  slavery 
When  British  bunting's  spread." 

His  face  beamed  as  though  his  individual  hand  was 
striking  slavery  dead.  When  not  patriotic  he  was  in- 
tensely moral,  and  the  lesson  of  "  Mrs.  Lofty 's  jewels  " 
was  so  vigorously  driven  into  our  brain,  we  ought  to 
have  been  dead  to  the  dazzle  of  diamonds  evermore. 

On  the  first  day  of  our  arrival  we  sallied  forth  to 


QUEBEC.  17 

see  the  town.  The  picturesque  fascination  of  its  first 
appearance,  which  took  us  captive  as  we  first  steamed 
up  the  St.  Lawrence,  lessened  on  a  closer  acquaintance. 
"  Distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view  "  in  this  as 
in  many  other  cases.  It  is  a  delightfully  old  historic 
city,  full  of  incongruities,  and  marvellous  in  its  general 
aspect  of  griminess  and  decay.  The  ancient  buildings 
do  not  seem  to  be  enjoying  a  hale  and  strong  old  age. 
They  have  a  gray,  worn  look,  as  though  they  felt  their 
mournful  position,  and  grieved  that  no  hand  was  out- 
stretched to  save  them  from  the  ruin  into  which  they 
are  fast  falling.  It  seems  as  though  time  had  robed 
and  crowned  this  quaint  old  town  with  historic  fame 
and  interest,  and  then  turned  away  and  left  it  forlorn 
and  half  forgotten  ;  for  it  has  all  the  appearance  of  a 
bankrupt  estate,  with  little  life  or  money  left  in  it. 
Its  glory  has  departed,  there  is  no  doubt  of  that,  and 
the  good  folk  are  trying  to  destroy  its  picturesqueness 
as  fast  as  they  can.  We  feel  this  as  we  stroll  through 
the  long  straggling  up  and  down  streets,  their  china 
or  slate  roofs  glistening  in  the  sunshine.  The  houses, 
some  old,  some  new,  represent  every  style  of  architec- 
ture or  non-architecture  under  the  sun  ;  no  uniformity, 
no  regularity  anywhere.  Some  are  built  of  red  brick, 
some  of  gray  stone,  with  odd  little  latticed  windows 
breaking  out  in  unexpected  places.  Some  modern 
occupants  of  ancient  homes  have  discarded  the  tiny 
twinkling  panes,  and  replaced  them  with  huge  squares 
of  plate  glass  and  other  "  modern  improvements,"  mar- 
ring as  much  as  possible  the  quaint  picturesqueness  of 
the  old,  without  imparting  the  imposing  aspect  of  the 
new.  The  wooden  pavements  are  in  a  generally  rotten 
condition,  and  the  roads  when  they  are  not  cobble 


18  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

stones  are  full  of  ruts,  holes,  and  pitfalls,  which  makes 
us  sigh  for  Macadam  and  all  his  host. 

We  pass  through  the  Governor's  garden,  where  a 
huge  placard  warns  "not  to  pick  the  flowers."  But 
never  a  flower  is  in  sight ;  only  a  growth  of  dank, 
long  grass,  and  a  thick  undergrowth  of  weeds  of  the 
wildest ;  they  flourish  luxuriantly  enough.  We  pick 
our  way  over  the  stony  pathway,  and  reach  Dufferin 
Terrace,  a  splendid  promenade,  which  is  and  will  re- 
main for  centuries  a  noble  record  written  in  stone  of 
Lord  Dufferin's  administration  in  Canada.  It  is  fifty 
feet  wide  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long.  It  runs  from 
the  fort  of  the  citadel,  on  the  edge  of  the  quaint  old 
town,  on  the  one  side,  and  has  a  wide  extensive  land 
and  river  view  on  the  other,  perhaps  one  of  the  loveliest 
views  in  all  Canada,  for  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see  on  all 
sides  there  is  a  well- wooded  landscape  of  undulating 
hills  and  valleys  dotted  with  toy  villages  and  tiny  towns, 
with  the  beautiful  river  lying  like  a  sheet  of  silver 
below,  winding  and  widening  till  it  seems  to  fade  in  the 
far  horizon,  and  is  lost  in  the  vast  ocean  beyond.  Lean- 
ing over  the  fanciful  iron  railing  we  look  sheer  down  a 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  into  Champlain  Street,  the 
St.  Giles  of  Quebec,  and  out  over  the  lower  town.  Here 
on  this  splendid  terrace  the  Quebeckers  take  their 
evening  promenade  when  the  sultry  day  is  over,  for 
if  there  is  the  slightest  breeze  stirring,  it  is  sure  to  be 
found  here.  Standing  back,  at  about  the  centre  of  the 
terrace,  is  the  monument  to  "  Wolfe  and  Montcalm," 
situated  in  a  small  square  plat,  "  which  is  a  garden 
called,"  but  which  in  reality  is  like  the  rest  of  the 
public  gardens  .here,  a  mass  of  tangled  weeds  and 
briars.  The  renowned  general  himself  looks  as  though 


QUEBEC.  19 

he  was  rather  tired  of  standing  there,  and  would  gladly 
descend  to  that  oblivion  into  which  all  men  great  and 
small  must  sink  at  last.  It  is  only  a  question  of  time. 
He  is  doing  his  best  to  get  away  from  men's  eyes,  and 
is  crumbling  to  pieces  as  fast  as  he  can.  Already  he 
has  no  features  to  speak  of,  and  his  clothes  are  crumb- 
ling from  his  back.  He  has  stood  there  so  long  that 
few  people  care  to  look  at  him  now  except  strangers, 
and  they  make  such  scornful  remarks  upon  his  gene^ 
rally  dilapidated  appearance  as  would  make  his  stony 
brow  blush  for  shame  if  the  stony  heart  could  feel ! 
Would  not  all  great  men  prefer  to  live  in  the  memory 
of  their  countrymen  till  their  names  become  household 
words  in  every  home  rather  than  be  libelled  in  stone 
and  left  to  the  gaze  of  unborn  generations,  to  whom 
their  deeds  or  their  works  are  as  a  tale  that  is  told, — 
long  past,  half  forgotten  in  the  greater  mass  of  great 
works  which  have  succeeded  them  ? 

We  are  not  sorry  to  turn  our  backs  upon  the  dismal 
effigy  of  our  hero  and  get  into  one  of  those  delightful 
waggons  which  are  the  pride  of  Quebec,  easy,  light, 
well  hung;  while  they  serve  all  the  purposes  of  an 'open 
carriage,  they  shield  you  most  effectually  from  the  sun 
or  the  rain,  being  open  all  round,  and  provided  with 
stout  waterproof  curtains,  which  can  be  drawn  or  left 
undrawn  at  pleasure.  In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  we 
find  ourselves  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  where  we  can 
indulge  in  a  little  poetic  dreaming  of  our  hero,  and  the 
days  that  are  dead  and  gone.  Standing  there  and 
looking  round  on  that  historic  spot  it  is  easy  to  send 
our  imagination  travelling  back  to  the  gray  dawn  of 
that  misty  morning  long  ago.  There  are  Montcalm's 
troops  encamped  around,  sleeping  securely  on  that  lofty 


20  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

and  seemingly  inaccessible  height,  their  dusky  Huron 
and  Iroquois  allies  hanging  like  a  ragged  fringe  upon 
their  rear.  Noiselessly  and  with  muffled  oars  Wolfe 
and  his  gallant  soldiers  cross  the  river  from  Pont 
Levis,  and  with  catlike  silence  and  agility  climb  the 
steep  sides  of  the  cliff,  gaining  a  foothold  wherever 
they  can,  hanging  on  by  straggling  bushes  or  jagged 
edges  ;  one  after  another  in  stealthy  silence  they  creep, 
they  swarm  upward  ;  no  clink  of  sword  nor  clang  of 
armour  warns  the  sleeping  adversary  of  their  approach, 
till  in  the  gray  dawn  of  the  morning  they  gather,  a 
grim  and  silent  army,  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham  in 
the  midst  of  the  enemy,  who  are  startled  from  their 
sleep.  We  fancy  we  hear  the  bugles  ring  out,  and  the 
hurrying  to  and  fro,  as  the  dust  and  fury  of  the  battle 
begins.  It  does  not  last  long,  not  very  long ;  a  few 
hours  decides  the  fate  of  the  picturesque  old  town. 
Wolfe  is  wounded ;  a  gray  mass  is  seen  flying  east- 
ward. "  They  run,  they  run  !  "  a  voice  is  heard  ex- 
claiming. "  Who,  who  run  ? "  asks  the  wounded 
general.  "  The  French,  sir."  "  Thank  God  !  "  he  cries, 
and  falls  back  dead.  An  obelisk  marks  the  spot  where 
he  fell. 

Having  admired  the  splendid  view  from  those  lofty 
plains,  we  turn  on  our  way  back  to  the  town.  The 
suburbs  of  Quebec  are  very  beautiful,  being  studded 
with  elegant  villas,  surrounded  by  gardens  all  abloom 
with  bright,  sweet-scented  flowers,  that  fill  the  air  with 
perfume.  The  Foye  Road  is  especially  remarkable  for 
its  collection  of  palatial  residences.  Every  man  appears 
to  be  his  own  architect,  for  each  house  differs  from  the 
other,  and  all  are  built  with  more  or  less  originality  of 
design,  some  highly  ornamented,  others  remarkable  for 


QUEBEC.  21 

their  elegant  simplicity.  It  would  be  difficult  to  classify 
these  dwellings  with  any  recognized  style  of  architec- 
ture. It  is  strange  to  observe  how  entirely  the  French 
and  English  Canadians  keep  apart.  There  is  no  inter- 
course between  the  two.  On  the  side  of  the  French, 
at  least,  there  seems  to  be  an  undercurrent  of  the 
old  hostility  still  flowing,  though  it  is  never  brought 
actively  to  the  surface,  for  they  are  a  law-abiding, 
peaceful  people  ;  in  their  collisions  with  the  Irish,  it  is 
generally  the  Irish  who  make  the  first  hostile  move. 
They  will  not  learn  English  nor  allow  it  to  be  taught  in 
their  schools.  You  may  walk  for  miles  through  this 
British  colony  and  never  hear  the  sound  of  your  native 
language ;  if  you  venture  to  inquire  your  way  you  will 
be  answered  in  a  kind  of  French  that  is  not  spoken 
in  the  France  of  to-day.  They  cling  to  the  ancient 
French  of  their  forefathers,  with  no  innovations  or 
modern  improvements.  The  upper  classes  of  both 
nations  keep  as  much  aloof  from  each  other  as  the 
lower.  It  is  seldom  you  meet  a  French  family  in  an 
English  drawing-room,  or  an  English  family  at  a 
French  reception ;  for  those  little  social  dissipations  do 
occasionally  take  place,  though,  as  a  rule,  life  seems  to 
flow  on  in  a  dull,  sluggish  fashion  in  this  quaint, 
historic  town.  Religion  is  the  only  thing  that  seems 
to  keep  itself  lively,  for  the  air  bristles  with  church 
spires,  like  drawn  swords  flashing  in  a  holy  battle, 
pointing  upwards.  Week  days  and  Sundays,  and,  as 
it  seems  to  us,  at  all  times  and  hours,  the  bells  ring  out 
their  musical,  rhythmical  chimes.  The  Cathedral  has 
a  splendid  peal  of  bells,  which  play  u  The  last  Eose  of 
Summer"  and  some  other  English  melodies  with  ex- 
quisite sweetness  and  precision.  It  was  pleasant  to 


22  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

hear  the  old  home  tunes  clang  out  beneath  the  blue 
Canadian  skies. 

Through  the  kind  interest  of  our  new  friends 
we  gained  entrance  to  the  Convent  of  Gray  Nuns. 
By  a  low  arched  doorway  we  entered  a  small  stone 
hall,  with  a  staircase  on  one  side  and  a  narrow  aper- 
ture on  the  other,  where  the  face  of  an  aged  nun 
appeared  as  she  received  or  gave  messages.  We  re- 
ceived instructions  to  go  upstairs,  and  went ;  we 
passed  locked  doors  and  chambers  barren  of  furniture, 
except,  perhaps,  a  few  bare  benches  ;  we  could  find  our 
way  nowhere,  and  after  lingering  for  awhile  in  these 
empty  chambers,  haunted  by  the  ghostly  echo  of  our 
own  footsteps,  a  door  opened  and  a  voice  bade  us  enter. 
In  another  moment  we  had  the  pleasure  of  presenting 
ourselves  to  the  reverend  mother,  who  was  seated  in  a 
light,  airy  room,  the  first  of  a  semicircle  of  nuns,  who 
were  saved  from  contact  with  us  worldly  folk  by  a  par- 
tition of  wooden  railings,  which  reached  from  the  floor 
to  the  ceiling.  There  was  no  space  through  which 
we  could  even  shake  their  saintly  hands.  Conversation 
under  these  circumstances  was  difficult,  originality  was 
impossible;  we  could  make  no  semi-confidential  inquiry 
or  insinuating  remark  with  those  twenty  pairs  of 
smiling  eyes  upon  us,  each  keeping  guard  over  herself 
and  her  neighbour,  and  all  being  under  the  "  right 
eye"  of  their  "Mother  Commander."  Any  idea  we 
might  have  entertained  of  digging  below  the  surface 
and  getting  a  glimpse  of  conventual  life  perished  on 
the  spot.  They  had  evidently  no  intention  of  ex- 
tending their  favours  further.  A  view  of  their  bare- 
benched  chambers  and  'of  themselves  was  considered 
privilege  enough.  "  The  secrets  of  their  prison-house  " 


QUEBEC.  23 

were  closed  from  our  unhallowed  eyes.  Once  only  in 
living  memory  had  the  convent  been  unreservedly 
thrown  open  to  the  eyes  of  the  outer  world,  and  that 
was  on  .the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  Princess  Louise 
a  few  weeks  previously.  Even  the  simple  event  of  our 
coming  must  have  created  some  little  excitement,  for 
we  were  advised  that  many  of  the  nuns  then  present 
had  not  seen  a  face  from  the  outer  world  for  forty 
years  until  the  Princess  came  amongst  them. 

In  reply  to  our  few  commonplace  inquiries  or 
remarks,  they  tried  eagerly  (speaking  all  at  once  or 
echoing  one  another)  to  assure  us  of  their  perfect  hap- 
piness and  content,  so  earnestly  indeed  as  to  make  us 
doubt  the  fact.  Yet  they  certainly  had  a  look  of  peace 
and  content;  not  the  content  that  is  born  of  the  fulness 
of  joy,  or  is  the  result  of  a  happy,  busy,  useful  life,  but 
the  peace  that  is  born  of  sorrow,  or  of  inward  struggles 
and  battles,  fought  out  in  loneliness  and  silence ;  for 
human  nature  robbed  of  her  rights  will  chafe,  and 
struggle,  and  rebel,  till  she  is  broken  down  and  taught 
to  waive  her  rights  in  this  world  that  she  may  grasp  a 
higher  right  in  the  next.  For  that  she  waits. 

The  luxurious  comfort  and  bright,  sunny  aspect  of 
the  Father  Confessor's  chamber  (he  is  the  only  male 
allowed  upon  the  premises)  was  a  striking  contrast  to 
the  nuns'  bare  chambers.  He  was  a  small,  wizened  old 
man,  with  the  simplicity  of  a  child.  Whether  he 
possessed  the  "wisdom  of  the  serpent,"  I  query — though 
how  that  interesting  reptile  has  proved  its  claim  to 
wisdom  I  fail  to  comprehend.  He  showed  us  his 
photographs  and  his  sample  curiosities  with  as  much 
pride  as  a  child  shows  its  prize  picture-book,  and 
attached  as  much  importance  to  the  most  trifling 


24  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

things.  He  was  the  proud  possessor  of  the  skull  of 
Montcalm,  and  all  that  is  left  of  that  heroic  general 
grinned  at  us  with  socketless  eyes  from  beneath  a 
glass  case  where  it  reposed  on  a  velvet  cushion.  "Alas! 
poor  Yorick."  He  pointed  out  where  some  teeth  had 
been  extracted  without  the  aid  of  dentistry ;  they  had 
been  stolen  by  some  British  tourists  to  whom  he  had 
exhibited  his  treasures.  He  had  been  spiritual  adviser 
to  that  world  of  lonely  womanhood  for  forty-five  years, 
and  very  rarely  went  abroad.  Well,  we  took  our  last 
look  of  him,  of  our  friends,  the  Dufferin  Terrace,  and 
the  quaint  old  town,  with  much  regret.  We  had  taken 
our  berths  on  board  one  of  those  palatial  river  steamers, 
which  are  indeed  like  four-story  houses  afloat,  replete 
with  the  most  luxurious  accommodation,  with  balconies 
running  round  every  story,  elegant  drawing-rooms  for 
the  ladies,  smoking  and  billiard-rooms  for  the  gentle- 
men, and  a  capital  cuisine  for  everybody's  benefit. 
Slowly  we  steamed  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  keeping  our 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  gilded  spires  and  steeples  of 
Quebec  till  the  haze  of  distance  shrouded  them  from 
our  view. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MONTREAL. 

The  Stolid  Indian— Mount  Royal— Sir  Hugh  Allan's  Home— The 
Banks— The  Windsor  Hotel. 

WE  were  roused  at  a  most  unearthly  hour  in  the 
morning,  the  bells  were  ringing,  the  engine  shrieking, 
panting,  and  struggling  like  a  refractory  steed  who 
rebels  against  the  will  of  his  rider ;  but  it  was  brought 
to  a  standstill  at  the  landing-stage  at  Montreal,  and  we 
were  turned  out  only  half  awake  among  droves  of  bellow- 
ing cattle,  bleating  sheep,  and  generations  of  grunting 
pigs,  from  the  huge  sow,  half  a  ton  weight,  to  the  tiny 
squeakers  a  month  old.  We  dodged  the  horns  of  the 
cattle  and  scrambled  into  the  hotel  omnibus  as  best  we 
could.  Then  we  took  breath  and  scanned  the  scene 
around  us.  All  was  or  seemed  to  be  in  a  state  of 
"  confusion  worse  confounded,"  men  and  cattle  seeming 
to.  be  inextricably  mixed  together.  The  shouts  of  the 
one  and  the  bellowing  of  the  other  shook  the  air,  and 
filled  our  ears  with  discord.  A  posse  of  Indian  squaws 
and  "  bucks  "  stood  leaning  along  the  wharf,  watching 
us  with  expressionless  eyes  and  immovable  stolidity  of 
countenance.  They  might  have  been  statues  of  bronze 
for  any  signs  they  gave  of  life.  If  the  playful  earth- 


26  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

quake  had  paid  a  sudden  visit  to  the  shore  and  swal- 
lowed us  up,  I  doubt  if  they  would  have  moved  a 
finger  or  quivered  an  eyelid.  They  all  wore  ragged 
red  shawls  or  striped  blankets  wrapped  round  them, 
their  dark  faces  and  black  beady  eyes  looming  out  from 
a  mass  of  thick  unkempt  hair.  This  was  the  first  time 
the  untamed  savage  on  his  native  soil  had  crossed  our 
path,  and  I  must  say  they  were  the  most  revolting 
specimens  of  the  human  race.  It  is  simply  impossible 
to  regard  them  as  "  men  and  brothers,"  and  the  more 
we  study  the  nature,  character,  and  capabilities  of 
these  people,  the  more  firmly  are  we  convinced  of  that 
fact.  Civilization,  with  its  humanizing  principles,  may 
struggle  with  the  difficulties,  but  it  will  never  over- 
come the  inborn  blindness  of  the  savage  race.  They 
have  not  the  power  to  comprehend  our  codes,  nor  to 
feel  as  we  feel.  Much  has  been  said  of  their  treachery 
and  cruelty,  but  oppression  creates  treachery,  and  that 
they  have  been  oppressed  and  hardly  used,  driven  from 
their  native  hills  and  plains  to  a  strange  world,  which 
is  as  a  sealed  book  to  them,  of  which  they  neither 
know  the  letters  nor  the  language,  nobody  can  deny. 
Eegarding  their  cruelty,  it  is  a  quality  native  born, 
and  directed  not  against  the  white  race  especially; 
they  are  cruel  to  themselves,  to  one  another,  and 
delight  in  lacerating  and  torturing  their  own  flesh, 
regarding  (as  did  the  Spartans  of  old)  the  endurance 
of  bodily  pain  as  a  virtue,  courting  it  as  a  good  rather 
than  avoiding  it  as  an  evil,  as  we  more  civilized  folk 
are  apt  to  do.  This  is  not  meant  as  an  extenuation  of 
the  Indian's  malpractice,  who  in  reality  only  carries 
out  the  instincts  of  his  nature.  The  dog,  poor  brute, 
cannot  help  being  mad,  but  it  must  be  got  rid  of. 


MONTREAL.  27 

Looking  on  these  people,  with  their  low  brows  and 
the  animal  expression  on  their  expressionless  faces, 
we  felt  there  might  be  some  truth  in  Darwin's  theory 
after  all. 

Our  Jehu  cracked  his  whip,  and  his  bony  steeds 
began  to  move  slowly  through  the  noisy  throng.  The 
wharf  was  swarming  with  a  busy  population  loading 
and  unloading  the  many  trading  vessels  which  were 
drawn  up  by  the  river  side.  We  passed  under  a  crank 
of  squeaking  pigs,  which  were  being  swung  through 
the  air  and  lowered  on  to  the  deck  of  the  vessel,  pro- 
testing with  all  their  swinish  lungs  against  such  unna- 
tural elevation. 

There  is  a  slight  rise  in  the  ground  as  we  wind 
our  way  from  the  waterside,  but  on  the  whole  the 
city  is  built  on  a  flat,  level  plain,  lying  where  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  Ottawa  rivers  meet,  stretching  away, 
and  widening  through  handsome  squares  and  streets 
till  it  reaches  the  "mountain."  It  runs  round  it, 
covers  its  feet  with  pretty  villa  residences,  but  never 
attempts  to  climb  or  disfigure  its  green  sides  with 
bricks  and  mortar.  There  are  no  building-plots  to 
let  there,  for  Montreal  is  proud  of  its  Mount  Eoyal, 
and  keeps  it  for  the  pure  pride  and  glory  of  it.  Sir 
Hugh  Allan,  the  head  of  that  splendid  line  of  steam- 
ships bearing  his  name,  has  built  an  elegant  and 
palatial  residence  there  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain. 
I  am  by  no  means  sure  that  he  has  not  encroached 
upon  it,  and  planted  his  greenhouses  in  its  arms,  and 
sent  his  garden  creeping  up  its  soft  velvet  sides.  But 
Sir  Hugh  is  a  benefactor  to  the  city,  a  pleasant 
gentleman,  and  a  great  favourite  with  every  class  of 
people ;  no  doubt  if  he  even  wanted  a  slice  of 


28  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

the  mountain  lie  might  have  it,  especially  if  he  was 
willing  to  pay  handsomely  for  it.  This  beautiful 
"  Mount  Royal "  is  much  more  than  its  name  indicates. 
It  is  a  perfect  sylvan  retreat,  full  of  shady  groves  and 
bosky  dells,  luxuriant  in  its  growth  of  wild  fruits  and 
flowers.  Fine  trees,  with  gnarled  bark  and  wide- 
spreading,  leafy  branches,  stand  here  and  there  in 
shady  groups,  while  whole  colonies  of  birds  are  singing 
the  summer  day  through.  There  are  whole  battalions 
of  nut  trees  and  straggling  blackberry  bushes  skir- 
mishing round,  each  struggling  to  get  a  sight  of  the 
sun,  eager  to  be  the  first  to  ripen  and  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  young  children  who  come  "  a  black- 
berrying  "  in  the  golden  autumn  days.  There  is  not 
a  single  barren  spot  on  the  whole  mountain  ;  it  is  one 
garden  of  green,  with  tiny  rivulets  of  living  water, 
laughing  and  gurgling  as  they  fall  from  its  grassy 
crown  to  its  moss-covered  feet,  which  stand  on  the 
fringe  of  the  city. 

This  is  not  one  of  the  mountains  which  taxes  your 
energies  from  the  beginning,  and  makes  you  pay  ever- 
lasting toll  in  the  shape  of  aching  limbs  and  weari- 
ness of  spirit,  using  the  sun's  rays  as  a  kind  of  airy 
razor  to  scrape  the  skin  off  your  face  and  peel  your 
hands  till  you  can  scarcely  prod  its  rugged  sides  with 
your  alpenstock.  After  much  trouble  and  tribulation, 
with  your  clothes  dragged  off  your  back,  the  result 
of  the  hauling  process  common  to  your  guides,  you 
reach  the  top  at  last,  and  stand  blowing  like  a  gram- 
pus on  its  bald,  white  head,  while  you  look  round 
upon  the  wonderfully  wide  and  extensive  prospect  you 
have  risked  so  much  to  see.  The  sun  laughs  in 
your  face,  withdraws  his  forces  into  cloudland,  and 


MONTREAL.  29 

flings  a  white  misty  veil  over  the  world  below.  You 
see  nothing  but  mist,  mist  everywhere  ;  your  very 
brain  seems  to  get  frozen  and  foggy  ;  but  what  does 
that  matter  ?  you  come  down  exulting  that  you  have 
scaled  the  precipitous  mountain.  But  you  will  not 
own,  like  Sir  Charles  Coldstream,  that  you  found 
"  nothing  in  it."  Well,  Mount  Royal  is  not  one  of 
these.  Like  a  vain  and  beautiful  woman  it  likes  to 
show  itself  off  to  the  best  advantage,  and  has  a  capital 
smooth  road,  where  you  can  either  drive  in  cosy  car- 
riages or  walk  on  foot  through  a  pleasant  winding 
way,  through  leafy  shade  and  blooming  flowers,  till 
you  reach  the  top.  You  can  return  by  another  road, 
which  lands  you  about  three  miles  from  the  town. 

The  city  is  never  out  of  sight  during  the  whole 
progress  up  the  mountain.  But  from  one  special  point, 
which  is  always  indicated  to  the  traveller,  there  is  a 
remarkably  fine  view  of  the  entire  city  and  its  sur- 
roundings. There  is  the  broad  river,  studded  with 
green  islets,  spanned  by  the  famous  Victoria  Bridge, 
certainly  one  of  the  handsomest,  and  they  say  the 
longest  and  costliest,  in  the  world ;  beyond  it  the 
opposite  shore  stretches  away,  breaking  into  small 
towns  or  villages  till  it  is  lost  in<  the  distance ;  while 
beneath  our  feet  the  city  itself  lies  clearly  defined 
under  the  deep-blue  skies.  The  white,  gray,  or  red 
tiled  roofs  of  the  houses,  church  spires,  convents,— 
square  and  ugly  in  massive  gray  stone, — public  build- 
ings, and  Cathedral  towers  rise  out  of  a  forest  of 
green,  for  the  houses  generally  are  surrounded  by 
gardens,  and  the  wide  streets  are  bordered  on  each  side 
by  grand  old  trees,  the  relics  of  the  ancient  forest,  on 
whose  hoary  head  the  city  now  stands  and  holds  its 


30  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

place  among  the  first  cities  of  this  Western  world. 
The  trading  portion  of  the  town,  where  commerce  in 
every  imaginable  form  is  briskly  carried  on,  is  lined 
with  handsome  shops,  hotels,  and  banking-houses.  As 
we  passed  by  one  of  the  most  important  of  these  latter 
we  were  stopped  by  a  vast  crowd,  which  thronged  the 
doorway  and  surged  and  overflowed  across  the  street, 
and  effectually  blocked  all  progress.  A  placard  was 
on  the  door,  "  Stopped  payment,"  and  a  sea  of  human 
faces,  waves  of  excited,  desperate  passions  sweeping 
over  them,  surged  round  us.  On  every  side  we  read 
signs  of  wrecked  hopes  and  ruined  lives.  Some,  with 
sullen,  despairing  faces,  went  silently  on  their  way  ; 
others  gesticulated  fiercely,  with  threats  and  curses 
"  not  loud  but  deep."  Some  hysterical  women  were  in 
tears ;  others  crept  out  of  the  crowd  with  white,  wan 
faces,  broken  down  and  crushed  utterly  ;  they  had  no 
voice  even  to  complain  or  bemoan.  Gradually  we 
made  our  way  through  this  mass  of  miserable  people, 
and  went  on  through  the  populous  streets,  across  fine 
squares,  past  handsome  monuments,  all  of  which  are 
kept  in  perfect  order  and  neatness.  Wherever  there  is 
room  for  a  statue,  there  stands  Victoria  robed  and 
crowned. 

Everywhere  in  this  beautiful  city  there  are  de- 
lightful promenades ;  on  either  side  of  the  spacious 
streets  are  elegant  villa  residences,  with  tastefully 
arranged  gardens,  a  light,  fanciful  railing  only  sepa- 
rating them  from  the  footway,  and  sometimes  not  even 
that.  You  may  enjoy  a  perfect  feast  of  the  beauty 
and  perfume  of  flowers  as  you  saunter  beneath  the 
trees  which  border  the  footway,  their  overhanging 
branches  forming  a  perfect  shade  and  bower  of  green. 


MONTREAL.  31 

Here,  as  in  many  other  Canadian  cities,  three-fourths 
of  the  population  are  Catholics,  and  their  churches  and 
Cathedral  are  among  the  finest  architectural  buildings 
in  the  city,  where  churches  of  all  denominations 
abound.  Christ  Church  Cathedral  (Episcopal)  is,  they 
say,  the  finest  specimen  of  English  Gothic  architecture 
in  America.  It  is  built  of  Caen  and  Montreal  stone. 
From  the  centre  of  the  cross  rises  a  spire  224  feet 
high ;  the  choir  stalls  are  splendidly  carved,  and  the 
nave  is  supported  by  columns  carved  in  imitation  of 
Canadian  plants ;  but  an  adequate  description  of  the 
churches,  convents,  or  museums,  here  and  elsewhere, 
would  each  require  a  volume  to  itself,  and  those  who 
require  that  special  kind  of  information  will  find  it  in 
every  local  guidebook.  Going  the  general  round  of 
these  places  forms  no  part  of  my  programme.  Such 
special  descriptions  are  only  needed  for  special  objects, 
and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  are  both  wearisome  and 
uninteresting.  In  their  Continental  experiences  people 
rush  through  miles  of  picture  galleries,  and  visit  scores 
of  churches,  believing  it  to  be  their  duty  so  to  do,  but 
at  the  end  of  the  day  few  have  a  distinct  impression  of 
any  perfect  thing.  The  mind  reflects  only  a  confused 
mass  of  gorgeous  colouring,  stained  glass  windows, 
groined  roofs  and  arches,  all  mixed  up  together,  and 
when  they  sit  down  to  think  things  over  it  is  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  they  summon  one  distinct  picture 
before  their  mind's  eye. 

Last  though  not  least  among  the  attractions  of 
Montreal,  is  the  number  of  its  commodious  hotels, 
among  which  the  Windsor  stands  pre-eminent.  It  is 
built  at  the  highest  point  of  the  city,  under  the  shadow 
of  the  mountains,  and  for  comfort  and  luxurious  ap- 


32  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

pointments  is  second  to  none,  either  on  this  side  of  the 
Continent  or  on  the  other.  The  charges  here,  as  in  all 
other  first-class  hotels,  vary  from  two  and  a  half  to  five 
dollars  per  day,  inclusive,  according  to  location  of 
rooms.  This  is  most  moderate  when  compared  with 
our  home  charges,  where  the  extras  and  sundries 
swell  the  bill  till  it  is  ready  to  burst  with  its  own 
extortions. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    CAPITAL    OF   THE   DOMINION. 

Eiver  Travelling — Trail  of  the  Fire  King— Ottawa — Parliament 
Buildings— The  City— The  Home  of  our  Princess. 

THE  journey  from  Montreal  to  Ottawa  is  for  the  most 
part  dull  and  uninteresting.  We  have  half  an  hour's 
train,  through  a  rough  ragged  country,  laden  with 
straggling  bushes,  rank  grass,  and  charred  tree  stumps  ; 
then  we  take  the  boat  and  steam  along  the  river,  a 
broiling  sun  overhead  and  flat  barren  country  on  either 
side.  There  being  nothing  attractive  or  interesting  in 
the  surrounding  scenery,  I  betake  myself  to  the  general 
saloon,  which  is  a  perfect  bazaar,  with  knickknackeries 
of  all  kinds,  and  books  and  newspapers  for  sale.  I 
invest  a  dollar  in  literature  of  the  lightest  kind  and 
ensconce  myself  on  the  most  comfortable  lounge  I  can 
find,  and  in  rather  a  limp  drowsy  state  try  to  keep 
myself  awake. 

My  companion,  aglow  with  the  delights  of  travel- 
ling, rejoices  in  the  inconveniences  thereof,  and  sits 
broiling  in  the  sun,  which  seems  inclined  to  have  no 
mercy  upon  anybody.  It  glares  down  with  its  fierce 
fiery  eye,  breathing  a  hot  sultry  breath  over  every- 
thing everywhere.  The  land  on  either  side  is  a  plain 


34  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

of  brown  dried-up  grass ;  a  few  lean  hungry  cattle  are 
straying  hither  and  thither,  browsing  on  the  dry 
breast  of  mother  earth.  Brown  bare-legged  children 
wade  into  the  river ;  some  cast  off  their  rags  and  leap 
in,  splashing  about,  laughing  as  they  play  at  "  catch- 
who-can."  When  they  are  tired  they  come  out  and 
lay  themselves  out  to  dry  in  the  sun.  The  water  has 
a  sultry  sleepy  look.  It  is  as  clear  and  still  as  a  glass 
mirror,  but  we  wake  it  into  fury  as  our  iron  steed 
tramps  through  it ;  it  hisses  and  runs  after  us,  snarling 
with  its  white  foam  lips  as  it  closes  in  our  wake,  and 
under  the  blazing  sun  our  vessel  steams  on.  The  deck 
blossoms  with  umbrellas,  which  look  like  gigantic  toad- 
stools growing  out  of  scores  of  human  heads.  Some 
put  cabbage-leaves  in  their  hats  and  hang  silk  hand- 
kerchiefs down  their  backs,  as  a  kind  of  protection 
from  the  sun's  keen  rays ;  but  they  will  not  sit  dotfm. ; 
they  wander  in  and  out  of  the  saloon,  like  evil  spirits 
that  can  know  no  rest ;  they  like  to  get  bronzed  with 
the  sun  and  sultry  air,  and  as  a  rule  are  not  satisfied 
till  the  skin  peels  off  their  faces  and  the  tips  of  their 
noses  require  a  bag  for  protection.  I  lean  back  on  my 
luxurious  lounge  in  a  rather  sleepy  state,  and  am  fast 
drifting  away  into  a  land  of  dreams  when  I  am  roused 
by  the  loud  prolonged  sound  of  the  dinner-gong,  and 
we  all  crowd  down,  helter-skelter,  to  the  dining  saloon, 
where  our  captain,  a  big  burly  man,  sits  at  the  head  of 
the  table,  with  sundry  roasts  and  fancy  dishes  smoking 
before  him.  "We  speedily  spoil  our  appetites,  and  leave 
but  a  mere  wreck  of  bare  bones  and  skeletons.  One 
dish  contains  Indian  corn  cobs  about  a  quarter  of  a 
yard  long,  looking  white  and  tempting  with  their 
granulated  covering.  Believing  they  are  some  stuffed 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  DOMINION.          35 

delicacies  I  ask  for  a  small  piece.     A  smile  goes  round, 
and  I  receive  a  whole  one  on  my  plate.     What  am  I 
to  do  with  it  ?     I  glance  at  my  neighbours.     Every 
one  is  holding  a  cob  with  his  two  hands,  and,  begin- 
ning at  one  end,  nibbles  along   as   though  he  were 
playing  a  flute  till  he  gets  to  the  other,  repeating  the 
process  till  the  cob  is  stripped  of  its  pearly  corn.     I 
don't  think  it  is  worth  the  trouble  of  eating,  though  it 
is  considered  a  great  dainty  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
About  two  o'clock  we  reach  Carrillon.     The  rapids 
bar  our  progress  up  the  river ;  a  train  runs  alongside 
the  vessel ;   we  are  soon  seated  in  a  comfortable  car, 
and  have  a  two  hours'  railway  journey  through  what 
was  once  a  magnificent  forest,  but  is  now  wild  waste 
land,  a  terrible  fire  having  swept  over  it  some  few 
years  ago,  destroying  and  devouring  all  before  it — 
farm-houses,  flocks,  all  animate  and  inanimate  things 
—leaving  here  and  there  groups  of  tall  spectral  trees, 
standing  weird  and  ghostly  in  the  summer  sun.     Here 
it  had  feasted  greedily  and  left  nothing  but  charred 
roots  and  fantastic  tree  stumps  straggling  over  the 
ground.     One  spot  on  the  line  of  that  terrible  fire  was 
pointed  out  to  me  as  having  once  been  a  flourishing 
farm ;  but  the  fire  fiend  swept  down  upon  it  in  the 
night,  when  the  inhabitants   were  all  in   their   beds 
asleep.     The  man  rushed  out  with  his  wife  and  child 
and  crouched  down  in  a  potato  field,  trusting  that  the 
storm   of  fire  might  pass  over   them ;    but  the   red- 
torigued  flames  came  leaping  along  and  drove  them 
into  the  river,  and  all  night  long  he  stood  up  to  his 
neck  in  water,  supporting  his  wife   and  child.     The 
great  white  moon  shone  out  serene  and  peaceful  in  the 
calm  blue  skies.     Not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring,  not 


36  THROUGH   CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

a  sound  was  heard  but  the  tramp  of  the  fire  king  as  he 
roared  on  his  blazing  way.  In  the  morning  they  were 
saved,  but  the  terrible  flames  had  licked  the  life  out 
of  all  wayfarers  who  had  barred  its  progress  and  left 
their  blackened  skeletons  grinning  in  the  sun.  After 
a  rush  of  two  hours  through  this  weird  wild  scene  we 
reach  Grenville.  There  we  take  boat  again  and  steam 
on  till  we  find  ourselves  at  Ottawa,  about  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening. 

The  approach  to  this  city,  the  capital  of  the 
Dominion  of  Canada,  is  by  no  means  imposing  ;  the 
face  of  the  river  is  covered  and  its  mouth  filled  with 
sawdust ;  it  is  stifled,  and  has  scarcely  strength  to 
flow,  it  could  not  burst  into  a  smile,  or  ripple  under 
the  most  tempting  of  summer  suns.  Immense  booms 
of  timber,  which  have  been  floated  down  from  the 
"  forest  primeval "  hundreds  of  miles  away,  float  still 
on  the  river  surface  till  they  are  hauled  up  to  feed  the 
hungry  mills,  mechanical  giants,  whose  rasping  jaws 
work  day  and  night  crushing  these  sturdy  "  sons  of 
the  forest,"  cutting  them  in  slices  and  casting  them 
forth  to  be  stacked  in  huge  piles  along  the  river-banks 
miles  before  we  reach  the  town.  There  is  no  bustle  or 
confusion  on  our  arrival  there.  On  the  quiet  little 
landing-stage  two  or  three  lumbering  vehicles  are 
waiting;  we  are  escorted  to  one  of  these  by  our 
chivalrous  captain,  who  carries  our  hand  baggage,  and 
superintends  the  removal  of  the  rest.  A  little  girl, 
about  ten  years  old,  follows  us,  with  a  dog  almost  as 
big  as  herself,  and  looks  up  at  us  shyly. 

"  My  little  lass,  ladies,"  observes  our  captain,  his 
face  wrinkling  and  his  eyes  twinkling  with  smiles ; 
"  she  comes  down  every  evening  to  '  meet  father.'  It 


THE    CAPITAL    OF    THE    DOMINIOX.  37 

wouldn't  seem  like  coming  home  if  I  didn't  find  Nellie 
here." 

With  a  proud  fatherly  air  he  takes  the  child's  hand, 
the  dog  trotting  behind  them  as  they  ascend  the 
stony  hill  towards  a  gray  cottage  of  rough-hewn  slate, 
which  he  has  pointed  out  to  me  as  "  home."  We  turn 
on  towards  our  destination  in  Nepean  Street,  where 
we  find  ourselves  so  comfortably  located,  that  instead 
of  staying  a  few  days,  as  we  originally  intended,  we 
resolve  to  remain  some  weeks. 

Through  the  good  offices  of  Mr.  Leggo,  a  popular 
and  most  enthusiastic  Canadian,  we  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Dennis,  one  of  the  oldest 
pioneers  of  the  state.  Those  gentlemen  were  like 
animated  encyclopaedias  on  all  matters  regarding 
Canada ;  from  them  we  received  more  information  in 
a  few  weeks  than  we  could  have  gained  on  our  own 
account  in  a  year. 

Our  first  day  in  Ottawa  was  spent  in  visiting  the 
Parliament  buildings,  which  occupy  a  plateau  of  about 
thirty  acres  on  the  loftiest  point  of  the  city  and  nearly 
two  hundred  feet  above  the  Ottawa  Eiver ;  they  are 
surrounded  by  beautifully  laid  out  gardens,  and  seem 
to  be  growing  out  of  a  bed  of  soft  greensward  of  velvet 
smoothness.  They  are  composed  of  cream-coloured 
Potsdam  stone,  the  ornamental  part  being  of  Ohio  and 
Arupois  marbles  ;  they  are  built  in  the  Italian  Gothic 
style  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  I  am  told  they  are 
the  most  beautiful  specimens  thereof  in  all  America, 
perhaps  in  the  world.  Their  elevated  position,  with 
their  long  lines  of  pointed  windows,  massive  buttresses, 
and  numerous  pinnacles  and  towers,  silhouetted  against 
the  bright  blue  sky,  are  objects  of  imposing  and 


38  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

majestic  beauty  for  miles  around.  In  the  front  centre 
stands  the  Victoria  Tower,  one  hundred  •  and  eighty 
feet  high,  and  surmounted  by  an  iron  crown.  The 
chief  entrance  to  the  building  is  through  the  broad- 
pointed  arches  beneath  this  tower ;  the  royal  arms  are 
above  the  doorway  ;  in  the  grand  Senate  Hall  there  is 
a  very  beautiful  statue  of  the  Queen,  and  the  vice-regal 
throne  is  flanked  by  busts  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  and 
the  Princess  Alexandra.  In  the  most  remote,  as  well 
as  in  the  most  populous  districts,  the  features  of  the 
royal  family  are  duly  represented.  The  Canadians  are 
the  most  loyal  of  all  British  subjects  ;  they  lower  their 
voices  with  solemn  reverence  when  they  speak  of 
"  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen, "  to  whom  they  never  refer 
as  "  the  Queen,"  pure  and  simple ;  they  give  her  a 
whole  string  of  titles  and  adjectives,  like  the  tail  of  a 
paper  kite,  and  set  her  sailing  in  the  heaven  of  their 
imagination,  as  though  she  were  beyond  the  range  of 
humanity  altogether.  They  seem  to  regard  royalty, 
not  as  an  upper  branch  of  the  human  family,  but  as  a 
higher  and  holier  species ;  any  adverse  or  quizzical 
criticism  of  them  or  their  doings  would  be  met  with 
severe  reprimand,  if  not  positive  maltreatment.  We 
cannot  help  wondering  how  the  loyalty  of  the  Canadian 
people  manages  to  exist,  for  it  has  been  half-starved,  or 
fed  only  upon  the  crumbs  flung  from  the  state  table. 
It  must  have  lived  on  its  own  robust  strength  or  the 
clinging  patriotic  spirit  of  the  Canadian  nature,  rather 
than  from  any  consideration  or  care  it  has  received 
from  the  home  government.  It  is  certainly  the  most 
beautiful,  the  most  fertile  of  the  British  colonies,  and 
lies  nearest  to  the  mother  land,  though  it  seems  farthest 
from  her  care. 


THE    CAPITAL    OF   THE    DOMINION,  39 

Much  has  been  said,  much  has  been  written  on  the 
subject  of  Canada  ;  we  have  learned  its  geographical 
position,  the  length  and  breadth  of  its  lakes  and  rivers, 
the  extent  of  its  vast  forest  lands,  the  height  of  its 
mountains,  etc.,  but  the  figures  dazzle  the  mind,  and 
bring  no  realization  of  the  fact.  Nothing  less  than  a 
personal  visit  will  enable  us  to  comprehend  the  wonders 
of  this  luxuriant  land,  which  is  surrounded  and  en- 
compassed with  its  own  loveliness.  The  primeval 
forest  still  holds  its  own  in  the  vast  solitudes,  sacred 
as  yet  from  the  increasing  encroachments  of  man, 
its  immense  inland  seas,  and  fruitful  rivers  winding 
through  scenery  the  most  picturesque,  the  most  sub- 
lime ;  to  say  nothing  of  its  vast  unexplored  lands  and 
mineral  resources,  and  the  wide  tracts  of  rich  unculti- 
vated country,  watered  by  springs  and  rivulets  which 
have  been  flowing  in  their  living  liquid  beauty  since 
the  days  of  Paradise.  We  hear  sad  tales  of  poverty 
and  misery  in  the  old  land,  of  scanty  crops,  wasted 
labour,  and  ruined  farmers,  who,  after  all,  are  only 
tenants  on  the  land  they  live  on  ;  the  small  farmer 
who  labours'  there,  on  another  man's  land,  may  here 
become  a  land-owner.  There  is  no  room  for  great 
farming  operations  or  agricultural  enterprise  in  the 
limited  cultivated  land  of  the  old  country,  every  rood 
of  which  is  occupied ;  there  is  no  room  for  new  comers, 
—the  great  tide  of  human  life,  which  is  rising  every 
hour,  must  roll  on  towards  the  great  cities,  and  per- 
haps starve  there,  for  each  city  is  filled  with  its  own 
people,  who  work  at  their  different  trades,  and  in  their 
turn  overflow  into  the  country,  drifting,  heaven  knows 
where.  There  is  small  chance  of  rural  folks  gaining 
their  bread  in  the  old  land.  Here  in  the  New  World 


40  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

there  are,  not  thousands,  but  millions  of  acres  of  rich 
fertile  soil  waiting  for  the  magic  pick  and  the  plough- 
share to  turn  it  to  a  veritable  "  Tom  Tidler's  ground  ;  " 
only  scatter  the  seed  on  its  broad  fair  breast,  and  it 
will  pulsate  with  a  new  life  and  swell  the  seeds  with 
its  own  fulness  till  they  burst  and  blossom  into  a  wealth 
of  golden  grain,  and  "  the  hand  of  the  sower  gathereth 
a  rich  harvest." 

The  Governing  powers,  in  their  desire  to  get  the 
country  well  populated,  are  willing  to  make  most  liberal 
terms  to  forward  this  object.  They  are  ready  to  give  a 
grant  in  perpetuity  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  to 
all  or  any  who  are  willing  to  make  a  home  there,  with 
the  power,  of  course,  of  extending  their  possessions  as 
their  means  increase.  There  is  an  abundance  of  wood 
for  building  purposes,  the  rivers  and  lakes  teem  with 
fish  in  great  variety,  and  the  earth  gives  forth  such  a 
variety  of  wild  fruits,  strawberries,  raspberries,  grapes, 
gooseberries,  and  huge  trees  of  red  luscious  plums,  and 
butternuts,  we  feel  that  in  summer-time,  at  least,  we 
could  live  as  the  birds  do,  on  sunshine  and  sweet 
fruits. 

We  had  heard  much  of  the  extremes  of  temperature, 
of  heat  and  cold,  especially  in  Ottawa,  and  prepared 
ourselves  for  broiling ;  well,  it  was  warm,  the  sun 
blazed,  the  hot  winds  blew,  and  the  dust  of  this  most 
dusty  city  whirled  and  swirled  around  us,  got  into  our 
eyes,  our  ears,  crept  insidiously  down  our  throats,  and 
seemed  struggling  to  turn  us  inside  out ;  but  we 
clutched  our  mantles  around  us,  and  butted  against  the 
wind,  screening  ourselves  from  the  sun's  fierce  rays  as 
best  we  could.  It  is  not  often  that  the  sun  and  the 
wind  have  such  a  tussle  together.  However  we  reached 


THE    CAPITAL   OF    THE    DOMINION.  41 

home  at  last  in  an  uncooked  state,  feeling  not  much 
warmer  than  we  should  do  on  a  summer  day  at  home, 
though  the  temperature  is  much  higher,  and  the  hours 
are  marching  to  the  tune  of  90°  in  the  shade.  We  had 
spent  the  whole  day  in  wandering  and  driving  about 
the  streets  of  Ottawa,  till  we  gained  a  very  good  idea  of 
its  external  appearance.  It  has  numerous  fine  churches, 
and  its  town  hall,  post  office,  and  all  the  municipal 
buildings  are  substantially  and  massively  built  in  an 
attractive  and  fanciful  style  of  architecture.  As  for 
the  rest  of  the  city,  it  is  in  a  perfectly  unfinished  state ; 
it  is  as  yet  only  a  thing  of  promise,  though  it  has  the 
making  of  a  very  fine  town  in  the  future;  but  how- 
ever fast  it  marches,  it  will  have  to  keep  growing,  and 
work  hard  too,  for  another  century  at  least,  before  it 
reaches  the  level  of  its  magnificent  Parliament  build- 
ings. The  streets  are  wide  and  long,  stretching  away 
out  of  sight ;  they  are  cobble-stoned  and  roughly 
wood-paved  for  the  most  part.  After  passing  the 
principal  lines  of  shops  in  Sparkes  Street,  the  houses 
seem  to  have  been  built  for  temporary  convenience 
only,  and  crop  up  here  and  there  in  a  direct  line, 
leaving  wide  spaces  of  waste  land  between,  as  though 
they  were  in  a  hurry  to  see  which  should  reach  the 
end  of  the  long  street  first,  the  end  that  seems  to  be 
creeping  back  to  the  primeval  forest,  which  civilization 
and  time  has  left  far  behind. 

Ottawa  itself  is  neither  picturesque  nor  attractive, 
being  built  on  perfectly  flat  ground.  It  looks  like  a 
timber  yard,  and  smells  of  sawdust.  The  Ottawa  river 
has  as  many  long  thin  arms  as  an  octopus,  and  they 
run  meandering  inland  by  a  hundred  different  ways ; 
here,  they  meet  in  a  vast  tumbling  mass,  falling  over 


42  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

huge  boulders  and  broken  stony  ground  till  they  are 
dignified  by  the  name  of  the  "  Chaudiere  Falls  ; "  lower 
down,  their  headlong  course  is  stopped,  and  they  are 
utilized  and  made  to  turn  a  huge  sawmill  where  a 
thousand  steel  teeth  are  biting  through  the  grand  old 
trees,  tearing  them  into  slips,  digesting  and  disgorging 
them  on  the  other  side  ;  in  vain  the  water  foams  and 
groans,  crashing  its  rebellious  waves  together — man  is 
its  master,  and  will  have  his  way.  Just  over  the 
bridge  is  an  extensive  match  factory,  employing  six 
hundred  children  from  six  to  twelve  years  old,  swarm- 
ing on  all  sides  like  busy  little  ants,  measuring,  cutting, 
dipping,  and  filling  the  boxes  as  fast  as  their  tiny 
hands  can  move.  There  is  on  the  opposite  side  a  pail 
and  tub  factory,  all  for  exportation  ;  long  galleries, 
filled  with  tubs  and  pails  from  floor  to  ceiling,  enough 
to  scrub  the  world  clean,  and  turn  it  inside  out  and 
begin  again  on  the  other  side. 

Eideau  Hall,  the  home  of  our  Princess,  lies  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  and  is  by  no  means  a  regal- 
looking  mansion ;  it  is  a  long  low  building  of  grey- 
stone,  standing  on  rather  elevated  ground,  and  has  a 
pleasant  view  of  the  town  and  river  from  the  lawn 
and  flower  garden,  which  enclose  two  sides  of  it ;  the 
approach  is  through  tolerably  well  timbered  grounds, 
not  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  called  a  "  park."  The 
Governor  and  Princess  Louise  were  away,  and  the 
house  was  undergoing  repair — it  looked  as  though  it 
needed  it.  There  was  nothing  to  distinguish  this  from 
any  second  or  third-rate  country  house  at  home,  except 
the  one  solitary  and  rather  seedy-looking  sentinel  who 
paraded  before  the  door.  The  people  of  Ottawa  speak 
most  enthusiastically  of  our  Princess ;  everyone  has 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  DOMINION.         43 

some  kind  memory  or  pleasant  anecdote  to  tell  of  her. 
It  is  said  that  when  Her  Boyal  Highness  held  her 
first  reception,  she  appeared  in  a  plain  high  dress, 
expecting,  perhaps,  to  find  fashion  "  out  of  joint "  in 
this  far-away  place ;  but  the  Canadian  ladies  came 
trooping  "  en  grand, toilette,"  with  fans  and  diamonds, 
trains  and  laces,  like  living  importations  from  Worth 
himself.  At  the  next  reception  matters  changed,  and 
the  royal  lady  appeared  in  all  the  splendour  of  the 
British  Court  receptions. 


44  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

FROM    CITY    TO    CATARACT. 

On  the  Train — The  Thousand  Islands — At  Kingston — Toronto — 
The  Government  House — Arrival  of  the  Princess  Louise — 
"  We  expect  the  Moon  " — Niagara  Falls. 

FROM  Ottawa  to  Toronto  is  a  tedious  journey,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  many  changes,  from  rail  to  river,  river 
to  rail  again.  The  train  is  waiting  for  us  as  we  reach 
the  station  ;  it  is  a  hot  sultry  morning,  the  warm  air, 
sand-laden,  comes  in  short,  fitful  gusts,  and  is  stifling 
rather  than  refreshing  ;  the  sun  blazes  down  from  a 
copper-coloured  sky — everything  is  sun-dried,  sun- 
baked ;  the  city  glows  like  an  oven ;  the  stony,  shade- 
less  streets  reflect  the  burning  rays,  and  blind  the  eyes 
with  their  white  dazzling  light ;  one  might  cook  eggs 
upon  the  housetops,  and  set  bacon  to  frizzle  in  the  sun. 
It  is  an  undertaking  to  cross  the  blank  space  from 
the  omnibus  to  the  platform,  many  a  sunstroke  has 
been  got  with  less  provocation.  In  a  limp,  dusty  con- 
dition, tired  before  the  day  has  well  begun,  we  take  the 
first  vacant  seats  we  come  to — there  is  little  choice,  for 
the  car  is  half  full  already,  and  more  people  come 
trooping  in,  till  it  is  filled  to  overflowing  with  a  miscel- 
laneous mass  of  humanity  of  all  sorts,  sexes,  and  sizes  : 
there  are  women  with  babies,  women  with  bundles, 


FROM   CITY   TO    CATARACT.  45 

and  baskets  of  fruit,  crockery,  and  cabbages ;  two 
elderly  ladies,  in  corkscrew  curls,  carrying  a  pet  cat 
in  a  basket  and  huge  bunches  of  flowers,  come  timidly 
in,  smiling  and  giving  a  recognizing  nod  to  everybody 
with  the  information  that  they  "  have  not  been  in  a 
train  for  twenty  years,  and  consequently  are  a  little 
nervous."  Hobbledehoys  trample  on  our  skirts,  and 
stumble  over  our  feet,  and  one  young  tourist,  evidently 
got  up  by  his  tailor  in  stereotyped  tourist  fashion,  for 
his  first  outing,  struggles  into  the  car  under  a  weight 
of  walking-sticks  and  fishing-tackle,  and  commences 
operations  by  fishing  my  hat  off,  and  in  the  confusion 
of  disentanglement  and  blushing  apologies,  all  his 
belongings  come  rattling  about  my  ears.  The  bell 
rings,  the  train  moves  slowly ;  everything  moves 
slowly  in  Canada — whether  it  is  that  the  red  tape 
stretches  from  the  mother  country  and  ties  their 
hands,  or  public  spirit  languishes,  or  private  enter- 
prise is  sleeping,  it  is  difficult  to  say.  The  Canadians 
are  a  most  loyal,  kind,  and  hospitable  people.  Con- 
servative too,  with  the  worst  kind  of  conservatism,  they 
are  content  with  things  as  they  are,  and  so  long  as 
matters  go  smoothly  in  the  old  grooves,  they  will  not 
trouble  to  make  new  tracks.  They  want  waking  up  ; 
if  they  were  once  possessed  with  the  restless,  ambitious, 
go-ahead  spirit  of  the  United  States,  they  would  soon  be 
even  with  them ;  at  present  they  are  a  century  behind. 
We  rattle  along  through  a  not  especially  interest- 
ing country ;  here  and  there  we  come  upon  undulating 
woodlands,  with  pretty  farmhouses  lying  amid  their 
cultivated  lands ;  but  there  are  whole  acres  lying  idle 
of  rich  land,  which  has  only  to  be  tickled  with  a 
ploughshare  and  fed  with  a  scanty  meal  of  grain, 


4G  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

and  it  is  ready  to  burst  into  laughing  fields  of  golden 
corn ;  meanwhile  masses  of  gaudy  weeds  flaunt  their 
flags  in  the  sun,  and  straggling  brushwood  spring 
aggressively  from  the  ground,  and  such  a  glorious 
growth  of  thistles  as  would  delight  a  race  of  donkeys 
—no  better  could  be  found  anywhere.  Meanwhile 
we  amuse  ourselves,  each  according  to  his  or  her 
fancy.  One  woman  sucks  oranges  all  the  way, 
another  "  clucks "  and  makes  zoological  noises  to 
amuse  her  rebellious  offspring ;  the  young  tourist  looks 
unutterably  bored,  and  plays  the  "  devil's  tattoo  "  on 
the  window ;  somebody  perfumes  the  car  with  the 
odour  of  peppermint  drops.  The  old  ladies  enter 
into  a  conversational  race,  and  discuss  their  private 
affairs  in  a  most  audible  voice,  taking  the  whole  car 
into  their  confidence.  We  catch  snatches  of  a 
domestic  tragedy,  blithely  borne  by  the  chief  sufferer, 
who  dwells  upon  every  revolting  detail  with  great 
gusto,  as  though  she  revelled  in  the  telling  ;  next  to 
enjoying  other  people's  miseries,  some  people  love  to 
gloat  upon  their  own,  the  excitement  following  the 
tragedy  overpowering  the  tragedy  itself.  Every  time 
the  train  stops,  as  it  does  with  a  jerk,  they  clutch 
each  other  wildly,  and  pelt  everybody  with  ques- 
tions, "Was  it  a  collision?"  or  "had  the  boiler  burst?" 
During  their  excitement  the  cat  wriggles  out  of  the 
basket,  and  a  general  scrimmage  ensues  before  the 
poor  beast  can  be  recaptured. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  reach  Prescott,  and  there  take 
the  boat  for  Kingston,  hoping  to  catch  the  four  o'clock 
train  for  Toronto.  Our  luggage  is  soon  aboard,  and 
in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  we  are  seated  under 
an  awning  on  the  deck  of  a  palatial  river  boat ;  here 


FROM    CITY    TO    CATARACT.  47 

the  river  broadens  and  joins  the  lake  Ontario.  We 
rejoice  at  leaving  the  dusty  train  and  baking  city 
behind,  and  set  ourselves  to  enjoy  the  fresh  genial 
breeze,  and  watch  for  the  first  glimpse  of  the  thousand 
islands.  We  are  soon  in  their  midst.  It  is  like  a 
dream  of  fairyland — the  perfect  day,  warm  sunny 
atmosphere,  and  fresh  cool  breeze  dimpling  the  face  of 
the  water ;  the  luxuriant  islands,  as  we  thread  our 
way  among  them,  seem  to  be  floating  with  us — they 
are  everywhere,  before,  behind,  and  around ;  some  are 
large,  some  small ;  some  are  inhabited  only  by  water- 
fowl, some  by  men  of  literary  and  artistic  taste,  who 
make  their  summer  home  there ;  but  they  are  all 
clothed  in  a  luxuriant  growth  of  green,  trailing  low 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  white  willow  and  silver 
birch  coquetting  with  their  own  shadows  fluttering  on 
its  surface.  After  a  few  delicious  lotus-eating  hours' 
floating  on  this  romantic  world  of  land  and  water,  we 
reach  Kingston  just  in  time  to  miss  the  train — every- 
body misses  that  train,  it  is  a  delusion  and  a  snare, 
nobody  was  ever  known  to  catch  it,  even  by  accident. 
I  believe  the  captains  and  hotel-keepers  are  in  collu- 
sion to  keep  the  tourist  in  Kingston  for  the  night. 
The  best  hotel,  The  British  American,  has  poor  accom- 
modation, the  table  being  ill-served  and  the  viands 
ill-cooked. 

We  brought  splendid  appetites  to  bear  on  greasy 
chops,  tough  steaks,  and  soup  so  weak  it  had  scarcely 
strength  to  struggle  down  our  throats.  The  meals 
were  served  at  most  unearthly  hours — dinner  at 
twelve,  supper  at  five  o'clock.  It  is  a  large,  old- 
fashioned  town,  with  a  capital  fruit  and  vegetable 
market  in  its  centre,  and  fine  houses  with  walled-in 


48  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

gardens ;  the  tallest  and  gaudiest  flowers  sometimes 
climbed  up  and  took  a  peep  at  the  world  outside  :  a 
good  old-world  city,  wrapped  up  in  itself  and  its 
people  ;  no  doubt  comfortable  enough  to  live  in,  but 
no  attractive  features  to  interest  the  passing  stranger. 
It  seems  to  be  an  isolated,  self-centred  place,  with 
nothing  to  do  with  the  present  and  no  stirring  asso- 
ciations with  the  past.  We  were  not  sorry  to  find 
ourselves  in  the  four  o'clock  train  en  route  for  Toronto. 
The  cars  were  clean,  and  not  overcrowded ;  boys  came 
along,  peddling  books,  papers,  hot  cake,  rich  ripe  fruit, 
and  "  real  English  walnuts."  We  were  tired,  and 
lounged  back  in  our  seats,  watching  the  panoramic 
landscapes  fly  past  us,  and  listening  to  the  sweet  voices 
of  two  young  Canadian  girls  who  were  singing 
hymns,  nearly  all  the  way.  Towards  eight  o'clock 
there  was  a  stop  of  twenty  minutes  for  supper,  and  a 
capital  supper  we  got — salmon,  trout,  cutlets,  sausages, 
fruit,  coffee,  iced  milk,  and  all  for  the  modest  sum  of 
fifty  cents ! 

The  sun  sets  in  a  glory  of  crimson,  purple,  and 
gold,  fading  and  changing,  one  colour  amalgamating 
with  another,  till  the  western  skies  are  dressed  in 
gorgeous  crimson  plumes,  and  the  lake  is  illuminated, 
glowing  red  in  the  reflected  light,  and  the  opposite 
shore  seems  veiled  in  the  purple  mist  of  dreamland. 
Slowly  the  twilight  falls,  the  moon  rises,  and  presently 
we  are  speeding  by  full  moonlight  along  the  shores  of 
the  Lake  Ontario. 

It  was  nearly  midnight  when  the  lights  of  the  City 
of  Toronto  loomed  upon  our  sight.  Our  engine  bell 
began  its  musical  ding-dong  as  we  slackened  and 
steamed  slowly  into  the  Station,  and  soon  we  were  on 


FROM    CITY   TO    CATARACT.  49 

our  way  to  our  hotel.  Thanks  to  the  delightful  baggage 
system  here,  as  all  over  the  United  States,  luggage  is 
no  trouble  to  its  owner.  The  arrangement  is  simple 
enough :  your  luggage  is  taken  from  your  house  by 
the  expressman,  who  checks  them  to  your  destination 
wherever  that  may  be,  giving  you  little  brass  numbered 
checks  in  return  ;  a  similar  check  is  strapped  on  each 
of  your  boxes.  About  an  hour  before  you  reach  your 
journey's  end,  an  express  agent  boards  the  train ;  you 
give  up  your  checks,  and  tell  him  where  to  send  your 
luggage.  On  your  arrival,  or  very  soon  after,  you  find 
it  there ;  there  is  a  specified  charge  for  each  package. 
The  loss  of  passengers'  luggage  is  unknown ;  and  by 
this  easy  arrangement,  much  loss  of  time,  trouble,  and 
temper  is  saved.  You  may  carry  as  much  as  you  please, 
and  from  the  time  you  leave  England  it  is  no  trouble 
to  you,  until  you  return  to  Liverpool, — then  your  vexa- 
tions begin  anew. 

We  put  up  at  the  Queen's  Hotel,  about  three  minutes 
drive  from  the  Station,  and  facing  the  lake,  though  it 
stands  back  a  few  hundred  yards  from  it.  We  found 
it  a  luxurious  hotel  and  perfect  home,  being  an  exten- 
sive but  not  a  monster  hotel,  large  enough  for  the  most 
complete  arrangements,  but  not  too  large  to  be  com- 
fortable. It  is  three  or  four  stories  high,  and  has  a 
balconied  and  verandahed  front  with  pretty  climbing 
plants  trailing  among  the  lattice  work.  The  Governor, 
Mr.  Macdonald,  and  his  two  charming  daughters,  at 
that  time  had  a  suite  of  apartments  here,  having 
vacated  the  Government  house  for  the  occupation  of  the 
Princess  Louise  and  the  Marquis  of  Lome,  who  were 
expected  in  a  day  or  two  to  open  the  Dominion  Ex- 
hibition. Toronto  was  much  excited  on  the  occasion. 


50  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

The  Misses  Macdonald  took  great  interest  and  delight 
in  beautifying  their  already  beautiful  home,  for  the 
reception  of  their  royal  guests.  The  day  before  the 
arrival  we  accompanied  them  on  a  last  visit  of  inspec- 
tion to  see  that  every  arrangement  was  complete,  and 
add  any  little  finishing  touches  their  refined  taste  might 
consider  necessary. 

The  Government  house  is  a  massive  square  stone 
building,  approached  by  handsome  iron  gates,  and  is 
surrounded  by  tastefully  laid  out  flower  gardens,  soft 
velvety  lawn,  fanciful  conservatories  and  green-house 
filled  with  rare  exotics.      We  get  the  key  from  the 
head  gardener,  and  enter  the  house  :  there  is  no  sign 
of  life,  not  a  creature  is  visible ;  we  saunter  through 
the  corridors,  up  the  stairs,  and  through  the  vacant 
chambers,  attended  only  by  our  own  shadows ;    our 
tread  falls  noiselessly  on  the  soft  carpet ;  once  or  twice 
a  door  slams,  and  an  echo  wakes  up  and  tries  to  follow 
us,  but  is  smothered  by  the  way.     The  rooms  are  all 
in   perfect   order,  prettily  arranged,  fresh,  airy,   and 
beautifully  clean,  not  a  speck  of  dust  is  to  be  seen  any- 
where ;  everything  seems  to  be  in  a  waiting  stage- 
eider-down  beds,  spring  mattresses  all  bare,  waiting  to 
be  made ;  wardrobes  waiting  to  be  filled  ;  fires  waiting 
to  be  kindled.     There  is  no  sign  of  silver  or  linen  any- 
where. We  inquire,  "Why  is  this?"  and  learn, that  when 
the  Princess  travels,  like  some  visitors  to  the  sea-side 
at  home,  she  finds  her  own  plate  and  linen  !     The  royal 
servants  are  expected  to  take  possession  every  minute ; 
as   we   are  leaving  the  house,  they  are  beginning  to 
arrive  with  the  baggage  in  advance.      Meanwhile  the 
city  is  all  agog  with  expectation,  people  come  flock- 
ing in  from  all  parts  of  the  dominion.      The  hotels^ 


FROM   CITY   TO   CATARACT.  51 

and  refreshment  houses  are  full  to  overflowing ;  eager 
sight-seers  throng  the  streets;  we  enjoy  our  gape  among 
the  rest.  It  is  a  pretty  bright  town,  with  long  wide 
straight  streets,  bordered  on  either  side  with  fine  old 
trees, — a  striking  contrast  to  the  blank  stony  aspect  of 
Ottawa, — and  is  calculated  to  show  off  at  the  best 
advantage  on  such  a  festive  occasion  as  this.  Triumphal 
arches,  covered  with  a  glory  of  green,  bright-coloured 
flags,  and  wondrous  devices,  span  the  streets  on  every 
side ;  we  come  upon  troops  of  merry  children  singing 
"  The  Campbells  are  coming,"  "  Rule  Britannia,"  and 
"  God  save  the  Queen,"  with  all  the  might  of  their 
strong  young  lungs ;  great  is  the  excitement  of  the 
child- world — they  are  to  muster  ten  thousand  strong  to 
greet  the  Princess  on  her  arrival  to-morrow. 

We  are  roused  early  in  the  morning  by  a  general 
hubbub  and  a  conflicting  choir  of  young  voices,  and 
look  from  our  window  upon  a  transformation  scene.  The 
whole  space  between  our  hotel  and  the  railway,  at 
which  point  the  royal  party  are  to  alight,  is  cleared  of 
lumber,  and  newly  swept  and  garnished  ;  and  on  either 
side,  rising  one  above  another,  rows  of  seats  have  been 
erected  to  accommodate  ten  thousand  children,  leaving 
between  them  a  wide  avenue  for  the  progress  of  the 
vice-regal  party.  The  children  are  already  beginning 
to  assemble ;  they  are  all  dressed  in  light  colours, 
generally  in  white,  with  broad  gay-coloured  sashes, 
worn  crosswise  from  the  shoulder,  each  school  wearing 
a  different  colour,  and  having  its  own  special  flag 
fluttering  over  it.  At  first  the  schools  seem  to  be  all 
mixed  together  in  inextricable  confusion ;  teachers  and 
trainers  dash  franticly  about,  gathering  their  wandering 
flocks  together;  but  long  before  the  slow  swinging 


52  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

engine  bell  heralds  the  approach  of  the  royal  party, 
each  school  occupies  its  proper  space  and  all  is  in  order. 
From  our  balcony  we  watch  the  train  come  wriggling 
like  a  great  black  snake  into  the  station.  We  are  not 
near  enough  to  distinguish  faces,  but  a  company  of 
gayly  dressed  midgets  seem  to  slip  out  upon  the  plat- 
form, and  stand  silent  in  the  sunshine.  There  is  a 
momentary  lull.  We  look  down  the  long  lines  of 
children's  faces,  rising  tier  upon  tier  ten  thousand 
strong ;  they  are  so  arranged  that  their  colours  blend 
harmoniously  together,  they  look  like  an  animated 
flower  garden ;  a  wave  of  excitement  sweeps  over  them, 
suddenly  ten  thousand  snowflakes  seem  fluttering  in 
the  air,  ten  thousand  hands  are  waving  tiny  white 
handkerchiefs  ;  the  choir  of  distant  voices  begin  to  sing 
"  The  Campbells  are  coming,  Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  "  and 
soft  as  the  sound  of  an  echo,  the  old  familiar  air  reaches 
our  ears,  swelling  louder  and  louder  as  it  is  caught  up 
by  one  section  after  another,  nearer  and  nearer,  till  the 
whole  ten  thousand  voices  fill  the  air  with  one  great 
volume  of  sound.  Meanwhile  the  newly  arrived  visitors 
progress  slowly  along  the  avenue,  and  "  God  save  the 
Queen"  and  "Rule  Britannia"  follow  in  quick  succession, 
the  children's  voices  quickening  to  a  race,  so  eager  are 
they  to  finish  before  the  Princess  is  out  of  hearing. 
As  she  reaches  her  carriage,  there  is  a  clapping  of 
hands  and  roar  of  welcome ;  but  she  keeps  in  the 
background,  leaving  all  the  honour  and  glory  to 
her  husband,  the  Governor-General  of  the  Dominion. 
Troops  of  Bines,  and  engineers  line  the  streets,  and  a 
general  festivity  takes  possession  of  the  city;  squibs, 
crackers  and  illuminations  finish  up  the  day. 

The  short  time  we  are  able  to  devote  to  Toronto 


FROM    CITY    TO    CATARACT.  53 

passes  too  quickly ;  everybody  is  hospitably  inclined, 
and  every  day  there  are  luncheons,  kettledrums,  or 
dinners  to  be  attended :  all  are  strictly  arranged  on  the 
"  home "  principle ;  in  fact  the  people  here  are  more 
English  than  we  are  ourselves,  and  scrupulously  avoid 
any  peculiarity  of  the  adjoining  states, — you  may  hear 
Americanisms  in  London,  but  never  in  Canada.  The 
people  are  lavish  in  their  liberality,  but  the  city  carries 
its  economy  farther  than  we  care  to  follow  it.  On  our 
way  to  a  friend's  house  one  evening,  we  found  the 
town  wrapped  in  darkness ;  we  could  neither  see  the 
names  of  the  streets  nor  the  numbers  of  the  houses ; 
we  lost  ourselves,  and  at  last  came  upon  a  dark  grey 
figure  carrying  a  bull's-eye — it  was  a  policeman,  who 
courteously  convoyed  us  to  our  destination. 

"  You  see,  ladies,"  he  said,  apologizing  for  the  Cim- 
meranian  darkness  of  his  beloved  city,  "  the  moon  is 
expected,  and  we  never  light  the  streets  when  we  expect 
the  moon ! "  So  when  the  moon  is  on  duty  the  gas- 
works have  a  holiday.  Toronto  is  beautifully  situated 
amid  stretches  of  well-wooded  cultivated  land,  and 
spreads  its  wide  skirts  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario, 
where  there  should  be  a  splendid  promenade — but  is 
not ;  for  between  the  lake  and  the  tall  rows  of  hand- 
some houses,  the  railway  runs  close  down  along  the 
water's  edge,  marring  the  prospect  with  its  array  of 
ugly  sheds  and  cattle  pens,  while  heavy  goods  trains 
are  shunting  and  shrieking  in  the  face  of  the  town 
from  morning  till  night  :  thus  the  opportunity  of 
making  one  of  the  finest  promenades  in  the  dominion 
is  lost.  From  Toronto  we  steam  across  the  lake  to 
the  village  of  Niagara,  where  a  train  is  waiting  to 
carry  us  on  to  the  falls  about  half  an  hour  further  on. 


54  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

We  all  watch  from  the  windows,  eager  to  catch  our 
first  glimpse  of  the  world's  great  wonder. 

I  quote  from  my  companion's  note-book  on  the  spot, 
"  There  was  a  break  in  the  wood,  a  flash  of  white,  a 
cloud  of  spray  tossed  high  above  the  tree-tops;  then  the 
dark  woods  closed  again.     That  glimpse,  flashing  upon 
us  and  passing  before  we  coul'd  fully  realize  that  the 
great  tumbling  mass  was  indeed  Niagara,  can  hardly 
be  called  our  first  view  of  it.  ...  It  was  dark  when  we 
reached  the  Clifton  house ;  the  roar  of  the  falls  filled 
our  ears,  we  stepped  out  upon  the  balcony,  and  there  was 
a  sight  we  can  never  forget.     It  was  a  moonless  night, 
and  in  the  dusk  we  could  only  obscurely  trace  the  vast 
vague  outline  of  the  two  falls,  divided  by  the  blurred 
mass  of  shapeless  shadows  which  we  learned  was  Goat 
Island.     As  we  looked  upon  them  silently,  and  listened 
to  the  ceaseless  boom  like  distant  thunder,  which  shook 
the  ground  beneath  our  feet,  across  the  snowy  veil  of  the 
American  Fall,  to  our  left,  shot  rays  of  rosy  light,  which 
melted  into  amber,  then   into   emerald.      They   were 
illuminating  the  great  waters  with   coloured  calcium 
lights !       In   whose    benighted   mind    rose    the    first 
thought  of  dressing  Niagara  up  like  a  transformation 
scene  in  a  pantomime  ?     It  was  like  putting  a  tinsel 
crown  and  tarlatan  skirts  on  the  Yenus  of  Milo.     But 
these   brilliant  rays   which  fell   across   the  American 
Falls,  and  which  were  turned  on  and  off  like  a  dis- 
solving view,  did  not  reach  to  the  Horseshoe  Fall  away 
to  our  right.     Yast,  solemn,  shadowy,  we  could  just 
distinguish  its  form  in  the  darkness,  could  hear  the 
deep  murmur  of  its  awful  voice.     And  there,  between 
it  and  us,  what  was  that  we  saw  ?     Was  it  some  huge 
pale  ghost  standing  sentinel  before  Niagara  ?     White, 


FROM    CITY    TO    CATARACT.  55 

spectral,  motionless,  it  rose  up  and  reached  towards 
the  stars — shapeless,  dim,  vague  as  a  veiled  ghost. 
There  was  something  almost  supernatural  about  it,  it 
was  like  a  colossal  spectre,  wrapped  in  a  robe  of  strange 
dim  light. 

"  '  How  fine  and  upright  the  column  of  spray  is  to- 
night,' said  a  strange  voice  beside  us.  This  broke  the 
illusion.  But  yet  it  seemed  impossible  that  our  ghost 
should  be  only  a  pillar  of  rising  and  falling  spray  ! 
We  saw  it  again,  daily  and  nightly,  but  seldom  again 
like  that.  We  saw  it  blown  along  in  clouds ;  we  saw 
it  like  a  great  veil  hiding  the  whole  face  of  the  Fall ; 
we  saw  it  one  evening  at  sunset  leaping  and  sparkling 
like  a  fountain  of  liquid  gold, — but  only  once  again 
did  we  see  it  rise  up  in  that  shape,  the  dim  and  ghostly 
guardian  of  the  night.  No  mortal  eye  has  ever  beheld 
the  base  of  the  great  Horseshoe  Falls  ;  it  is  for  ever 
veiled  and  lost  in  a  wild  white  chaos  of  foam,  tossed 
up  in  the  fury  of  its  headlong  plunge,  and  hiding  its 
depths  in  mystery. 

"  The  Indians  hold  that  Niagara  claims  its  yearly 
meed  of  victims.  It  may  be  so.  Or  does  Niagara  thus 
avenge  itself  on  the  civilization  that  has  trimmed  and 
tamed  its  forests  and  dressed  it  up  in  tinsel-coloured 
lights  ?  But  the  thunder  of  water  thunders  on  eter- 
nally, and  before  its  terrible  sublimity  we  are  dumb, 
as  in  the  mighty  diapason  our  feeble  voices  are  lost." 
We  remain  eight  days  at  Niagara ;  its  fascination 
increases ;  but  we  must  tear  ourselves  away,  and  say 
good-bye  to  it,  at  last ;  we  are  bound  for  the  "  Golden 
Gate,"  and  great  cities,  lakes,  mountains  and  prairie 
lands  are  lying  between  it  and  us. 


56  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE     EMPIRE     CITY. 

New  York — Fifth  Avenue— Madison  Square — The  Elevated  Rail- 
way—The Cars— The  Shops— The  People— West  Point. 

WE  leave  Niagara  in  the  early  morning,  and  start  on 

our  tedious  journey  on  the  long  comfortless  cars  (we 

learned  afterwards,  that  we  might  have  taken  seats  in 

the  parlour  car).     How  we  long  for  a  lounge  in  one  of 

our  own  easy  well-cushioned  first-class  compartments  ! 

Here,  there  are  no  lounging  possibilities,  we  are  forced 

to  sit  bolt  upright,  the  back  of  the  seats  scarcely  rising 

to  our  shoulder  blades  ;  and  the  constant  passing  to 

and  fro  of  the  peddling  fraternity,  and  the  slamming 

and  banging  of  doors  as  they  come  and  go,  is  most 

irritating  even  to  non-delicate  nerves.    We  feel  the  lack 

of  privacy  in  these  American  cars,  but  in  this,  as  in 

most  other  cases,  there  is  some  compensation — we  are 

safe  from  the  attacks  of  lunatics,  thieves,  or  ruffianism 

of  any  kind  whatever,  and  we  can  obtain  any  quantity 

of  rich  ripe   fruit,  luscious  strawberries,  bananas  and 

melons,  figs,  etc.;  while  there  is  a  tank  of  iced  water 

in  the  car  for  the  refreshment,  gratis,  of  thirsty  souls. 

The   train  rushes   through  the   high  streets   of  busy 

towns,    crossing    crowded    thoroughfares    and    public 

highways,  keeping  up  full  speed  always,  merely  ring- 


THE    EMPIRE    CITY.  57 

ing  the  engine  bell,  to  warn  people  to  get  out  of  the 
way :  they  have  to  take  care  of  themselves,  and  they 
know  it ;  no  precautions  are  taken  for  the  public  safety ; 
the  rails  are  merely  laid  down  in  the  middle  of  the 
streets,  and  when  the  trains  are  not  in  sight  other 
vehicles  use  the  road.  We  stop  to  dine  at  Syracuse, 
sup  at  Utica,  and  reach  New  York  a  little  before  mid- 
night. A  familiar  face  greets  us  on  the  platform,  but 
not  until  we  have  engaged  a  carriage  to  take  us  to  the 
Windsor  Hotel,  which  proves  to  be  just  two  bjocks 
from  the  station !  Our  luggage  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
expressman,  and  we  could  have  walked  to  the  hotel 
had  we  been  aware  of  its  nearness  in  less  than  five 
minutes !  The  rapacious  Jehu  charged  four  dollars 
for  our  brief  occupancy  of  his  dingy  vehicle ;  it  was 
the  first  and  last  time  we  were  so  beguiled. 

It  is  a  starlight  night,  and  we  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  tall  dark  houses,  which  seem  to  be  reaching  up  to 
the  moon.  The  names  of  the  streets,  we  notice,  are 
painted  on  the  glass  gas  lamps  at  every  corner,  so  that 
in  the  darkest  weather  you  may  always  tell  your  where- 
abouts. The  carriage  stops  at  the  monster  hotel — a 
very  mountain  of  cherry-red  bricks  and  mortar,  a  huge 
square  building  it  is,  occupying  one  entire  block,  built 
up  so  many  storeys  that  our  eyes  can  scarcely  reach 
the  top ;  its  windows  are  all  shaded  by  outside  linen 
blinds,  which  flap  and  flutter  like  flags  in  the  dim 
night.  The  wide  door  opens,  and  swallows  us  up. 
We  rather  dreaded  facing  the  clerk  of  this  magnificent 
establishment ;  we  had  heard  so  much  of  the  species 
and  the  generally  cavalier,  supercilious  manner  with 
which  they  treated  strangers  that  we  preferred  our 
modest  request  for  a  double-bedded  room  in  fear  and 


58  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

trembling ;  but  our  request  could  not  have  been  more 
courteously  received  and  answered  if  we  had  been 
engaging  the  most  gorgeous  suite  in  the  whole  hotel : 
I  believe  the  supercilious  hotel  clerk  must  be  classed 
with  extinct  animals.  We  are  politely  conducted  to 
the  elevator,  which  carries  us  up  higher — higher,  till 
we  fancy  we  must  be  approaching  the  seventh  heaven, 
and  at  last  are  deposited  in  a  large  handsome  apart- 
ment on  one  of  the  upper  storeys. 

The  next  morning  we  take  our  first  stroll  through 
the  "  Empire  city ; "  an  enthusiastic  and  patriotic 
American  friend  is  with  us  early,  anxious  to  see  the 
effect  the  first  sight  of  his  beloved  city  produces 
on  our  British  constitution.  We  step  out  from  the 
grand  entrance  of  the  Windsor  Hotel,  and  with  a 
majestic  wave  of  his  arm  he  introduces  us  to  "  Fifth 
Avenue !  "  and  watches  for  the  electrifying  effect.  Our 
faces  fall,  our  ideas  of  the  "  Glories  of  the  Avenue," 
which  we  had  often  heard  sung,  fade  away.  We 
look  up,  we  look  down ;  instead  of  the  wide  shady 
avenue,  and  brilliant  busy  scene  our  fancy  had  painted, 
we  see  only  a  long,  and  by  no  means  wide,  street, 
bristling  with  churches,  lifting  their  lofty  spires  from 
amid  the  rows  of  tall  brown  stone  houses,  which  are 
closely  packed  on  either  side,  each  being  approached 
by  a  flight  of  brown  stone  steps,  with  ornamental 
rails,  handsome  and  dreary  in  their  monotonous  regu- 
larity ;  but  we  catch  no  glimpse  of  a  green  tree  any- 
where !  The  whole  street  is  stamped  with  aristocratic 
dulness ;  a  score  or  so  of  well-dressed  people  are 
sauntering  along  the  side  walk,  and  clean-looking  white 
"  stages,"  which  run  from  one  end  of  the  city  to  the 
other,  are  jolting  along  over  the  rough  cobble  stones 


THE    EMPIRE    CITY.  59 

which  pave  the  roadway ;  the  avenue  is  several  miles 
long,  but  it  grows  less  aristocratic,  and  leaves  the  even 
tenor  of  its  way,  when  it  passes  through  Madison 
Square,  which  is  pretty  and  quite  Parisian  in  its 
appearance,  with  a  splendid  growth  of  fine  old  trees 
and  shady  nooks  and  corners,  quite  an  oasis  in  a  desert 
of  bricks  and  mortar ;  streets  of  stone  houses  radiate 
from  all  sides  of  it ;  and  every  day,  through  summer 
heat  and  winter  snows,  George  Francis  Train,  with 
his  ruined  intellect  and  shaggy  white  beard,  haunts 
j  the  scene ;  he  is  generally  found  seated  under  one 
particular  tree,  cutting  out  paper  boats  and  figures 
for  the  troops  of  children  who  swarm  round  him; 
and  here  stands  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  a  stately  building 
gleaming  white  in  the  sunshine.  Here  the  stir  of  life 
begins,  and  flows  in  a  restless  magnetic  current  the 
live-long  day.  After  leaving  Madison  Square,  the 
avenue  winds  and  wriggles  its  way  to  the  lower  part 
of  the  city,  and  mingles  with  the  everyday  working 
world.  Leaving  this  aristocratic  quarter  we  pass 
through  one  of  the  cross  streets,  between  lines  of  the 
same  brown  stone  houses,  miniature  copies  of  Fifth 
Avenue  grandeur,  and  find  ourselves  in  democratic 
Sixth  Avenue,  which  is  full  of  the  bustle  and  roar  of 
life  ;  shops  to  the  right  of  us,  shops  to  the  left  of  us, 
shops  everywhere  and  of  every  possible  kind, — crabs, 
eels  and  oysters,  Chinese  laundries,  fancy  toys,  barbers, 
whisky  bars,  and  fashionable  milliners,  elbow  each 
other  in  true  republican  fashion.  The  side  walks  are 
thronged  with  hurrying  crowds  of  men  and  women ; 
along  the  centre  of  the  road,  but  raised  about  forty 
feet  above  it,  runs  the  elevated  railway :  it  looks  like  a 
skeleton  gridiron  laid  on  a  rack  and  stretched  from  one 


60  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

end  of  the  city  to  the  other,  its  long  arms  branching  off 
and  running  through  the  intricate  labyrinths  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  town,  rounding  curves,  and  turning 
sharp  corners,  and,  at  times,  so  near  to  the  houses  you 
might  shake  hands  with  the  inhabitants  and  see  what 
they  have  for  dinner.  This  airy  mode  of  locomotion  is 
startling  at  first,  especially  at  night  when  the  shops  are 
closed,  and  the  streets  deserted ;  you  hear  the  rumbling 
of  the  train  far  off,  and  it  thunders  over  your  head, 
seeming  to  swing  in  mid-air  between  you  and  the  sky, 
its  green  and  red  fiery  eyes  staring  ahead  and  plunging 
into  the  darkness.  Beneath  this  elevated  road,  which 
forms  a  kind  of  arcade,  run  lines  of  red  and  yellow  cars 
jingling  their  bells  merrily  as  they  roll  rapidly  along 
the  iron  rails  in  an  almost  unbroken  line,  one  following 
the  other  in  quick  succession. 

Public  conveyances  are  cheap,  and  there  are  plenty 
of  them  :  cars  run  from  everywhere  to  everywhere. 
There  are,  of  course,  numerous  livery  stables,  and  a 
limited  number  of  public  cabs  for  hire,  but  they  are 
very  expensive  as  well  as  a  doubtful  luxury,  and  the 
drivers  are  most  accomplished  extortionists.  It  is 
impossible  that  a  drive  through  the  streets  of  New 
York  could  ever  be  taken  for  pleasure,  in  consequence 
of  the  rough  cobble-stoned  roadway;  it  is  a  jolting  pro- 
cess, you  take  your  drive  at  the  risk  of  dislocating  your 
neck.  The  cars  are  roomy  and  easy ;  both  driver  and 
conductor  are  protected  from  the  weather ;  they  stand 
on  a  kind  of  balcony,  with  an  umbrella-like  projection 
sloping  over  them,  effectually  shielding  them  from  sun 
or  rain.  Everybody  rides  in  the  cars,  from  the  lady 
in  costly  furs  and  velvets  to  the  costermonger.  You 
may  find  yourself  sandwiched  between  a  fat  negro  and 


THE   EMPIRE    CITY.  61 

lean  washerwoman,  and  facing  your  jewelled  hostess 
of  the  night  before. 

There  are  some  few  trifling  drawbacks  in  this  land 
of   liberty  :    the    every-man's-as-good-as-his-neighbour 
feeling,  is   sometimes  unpleasantly  obtruded  on  your 
notice;    especially  when   you   embark  on  a  shopping 
expedition,   there    is    an    absence    of    that    respectful 
ready  attention  we  are  accustomed  to   meet  with  in 
Europe.     You  enter,  say,  a  draper's  shop :  the  young 
ladies  are  engaged  in  a  gossiping  match,  or  a  game  at 
flirtation ;   you  wait   their   pleasure,  not   they  yours ; 
when  they  do  deign  to  attend  you,  it  is  with  a  sort  of 
condescending  indifference,  and  even  while  they  are 
measuring  a  yard  of  ribbon,  they  keep  up  a  fusillade 
of  chatter   with  their   companions.      I   speak   of  the 
rule,  of  course  there  are  exceptions.     Central  Park  is 
the  only  place  where  you  can   enjoy  a  drive — there 
driving  is  a  delight,  the  roads  are  simply  perfect,  and 
scores  of  splendid  equipages  and  beautiful  women  are 
on  view  daily  in  the  grand  drives  from  three  till  six 
o'clock ;    while    the    bridle    paths,    winding    through 
sylvan  shades  beneath  full-foliaged  trees,  are  crowded 
with  fair  equestrians  and  their    attendant  cavaliers  : 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  watch  them  at  a  trot,  a  canter,  or 
a    gallop,   for   the   American    women    ride   well   and 
gracefully.     New  York  is  very  proud  of  Central  Park ; 
and  well  it  may  be  so,  for  it  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
the  world,  there  is  nothing  like  it  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic.     Twenty  years  ago  it  was  a  mere  swampy 
rocky  waste,  now  it  is  a  triumph  of  engineering  skill 
and   a  splendid    illustration    of  the    genius  of  land- 
scape gardening  :  there  are  smooth  green  lawns,  shady 
groves,  lakes,  beautifully  wooded  dells  and  vine-covered 


62  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

arbours,  whichever  way  you  turn  you  come  upon 
delicious  bits  of  picturesque  scenery  blossoming  in 
unexpected  nooks  and  corners.  Here  and  there  huge 
grey  rocks  stand  in  their  original  rugged  majesty, 
their  broken  lichen -covered  boulders  tumbling  at  their 
base.  From  the  terrace,  which  is  the  highest  point, 
you  enjoy  a  view  of  the  entire  park  with  its  numerous 
lakes,  fountains,  bridges,  and  statues,  spreading  like  a 
beautiful  panorama  round  you.  Here,  too,  you  fully  rea- 
lize the  cosmopolitan  character  of  the  city,  for  here  great 
men  of  all  nations  are  immortalized  or  libelled  in  stone, 
and  their  statues  stud  the  park,  side  by  side  with  the 
national  heroes.  Some  idea  of  the  extent  of  these 
grounds  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact,  that  there  are 
ten  miles  of  carriage  drives,  all  as  a  rule  wide  enough 
for  six  to  go  abreast,  about  six  miles  of  bridle  paths 
for  riding,  and  twenty-eight  for  pedestrian  exercise ;  a 
wide  stretch  of  lawn  is  set  apart  for  cricket  or  croquet 
playing,  and  a  special  quarter  for  children  with  merry- 
go-rounds,  swings,  etc. ;  there  is  also  a  menagerie  con- 
taining numerous  and  varied  specimens  of  animals, 
the  nucleus  of  what  is  to  be,  when  completed,  a  fine 
zoological  collection. 

The  Park  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  upper 
town.  The  avenues  run  lengthwise  from  one  end  of 
the  city  to  another,  which  are  crossed  by  straight 
streets  in  a  direct  line  from  the  East  Eiver,  on  the  one 
side,  to  the  Hudson  on  the  other ;  the  famous  Broad- 
way running  diagonally  from  the  upper  town,  slant- 
ing across  streets,  squares  and  avenues  till  it  buries 
itself  in  the  intricate  wilds  of  the  lower  town,  where 
the  streets  are  closely  massed  together  and  densely 
populated  with  wanderers  from  all  nations,  Polish 


THE   EMPIRE    CITY.  63 

Jews,  Russians,  Italians,  Germans,  Irish,  creating   a 
wild  confusion  of  tongues,  all  packed  in  tall  tenement 
houses,  in  close  narrow  streets,  scores  of  families  living 
where  there  is  scarcely  health-breathing  room  for  one. 
Castle  Garden,  where  admirable  arrangements  are  made 
for  the  reception  of  emigrants,  and  the  "  Battery,"  once 
a  fashionable  promenade,  point  the  lower  end  of  this 
island  city,  girdled  by  the  green  waters  of  the  Hudson 
and  East  River,  which  meet  and  mingle  here.     Wall 
Street,  one  of  the  great  financial  centres  of  the  world, 
is  situate  in  the  busiest  business  quarter  of  the  lower 
town,  and  runs  in  a  somewhat  broken  line  from  Broad- 
way to  the  East  River.     The  traffic  here  is  enormous, 
this  part  of  the  city  is  like  a  human  cauldron,  with  a 
restless  multitude  seething  and  bubbling  from  morning 
till  night.      There  must  be  something  in  the  air  which 
excites  the  brain  and  allows  to  human  nature  no  rest ; 
every  man  seems  to  be  rushing  for  dear  life's  sake, 
while  life  itself  is  rushing  after  something  else,  some- 
times hurling  itself  out  of  this  world  into  the  next  to 
find  it.    All  above  Central  Park  is  like  a  ragged  fringe 
of  the  great  city — long  half-finished  avenues,  straggling 
sparsely  inhabited  streets,  and  skeleton  houses  ;  much 
of  the  original   swampy  ground  lies  still   unclaimed. 
The    Irish    squatters    in    their  rickety    tumble-down 
hovels  still  cling  to  the  land  ;  the  malarial  air  may 
wrap  them  like  a  shroud,  the  swamp  with  its  foul  un- 
wholesomeness  threaten  to  swallow  them  up — they  will 
not  stir.    By  slow,  very  slow  degrees,  as  the  Government 
reclaims  the  l^and,  they  are  driven  towards  the  edge, 
but  wherever  they  can  find  a  footing  they  squat  again. 
Although  New  York  is  one  of  the  great  commercial 
centres  of  the  world,  it  is  not  a  beautiful  city ;  there  is 


64  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

nothing  picturesque  or  attractive  about  it ;  take  away 
Central  Park  and  you  have  a  mere  wilderness  of  bricks 
and  mortar  ;  streets  and  houses  so  closely  packed  as 
scarce  to  leave  breathing  room  for  its  inhabitants. 
Every  one  wants  to  live  near  the  centre,  and  as  its 
watery  girdle  prevents  the  city  spreading,  it  grows 
upwards,  piling  one  story  above  another  till  it  threatens 
to  shut  out  the  sky.  It  is  not  a  clean  city  either  : 
street  cleaning  is  carried  on  in  a  slovenly  fluctuating 
fashion ;  there  are  no  dust-bins  in  the  backyards,  but 
ash-barrels  stand  on  the  curbstone  in  front  of  every 
dwelling,  and  are  the  receptacles  for  all  household 
refuse ;  dust,  ashes,  cabbage  stumps,  fish  bones,  broken 
china,  are  all  poured  into  the  ash-barrel  till  it  overflows 
and  becomes  an  unsightly  and  unsavoury  nuisance. 
There  are  several  fine  libraries,  art  galleries,  and 
museums  (to  give  an  idea  of  their  valuable  and  in- 
teresting contents  would  fill  a  volume),  and  churches 
so  numerous  that  if  the  piety  of  the  people  kept  pace 
with  their  churches  there  would  be  a  scarcity  of 
sinners.  Their  schools  are  abundant,  and  their  educa- 
tional system  the  most  perfect  I  have  seen — every 
child  may  have  the  advantage  of  a  splendid  education 
gratis  ;  and  the  mode  of  teaching  is  such  that  the 
veriest  dunce  must  find  pleasure  in  learning.  The 
superintendents  and  teachers  are  well  chosen  ;  with 
tact  and  kindness  they  lead  their  pupils,  not  only  to 
learn  from  books,  but  to  think  out  their  own  thoughts, 
and  by  suggestive  and  pertinent  questions,  cause  them 
to  reflect  and  comprehend  what  the  lesson  teaches,  so 
making  the  path  of  knowledge  a  path  of  roses ;  what 
is  pleasantly  learnt  is  well  learnt  and  long  remembered, 
while  the  learning  that  is  beaten  in  at  one  ear  often 


THE    EMPIRE    CITY.  65 

flies  out  at  the  other.  In  the  matter  of  hospitals,  and 
charitable  institutions  of  all  descriptions,  the  city  of 
New  York  is  second  to  none  ;  and  all  its  arrangements 
are  carried  out  with  the  large-hearted  liberality  which 
characterizes  the  American  people. 

Though  strongly  republican  "in  principle,  they  do 
not  carry  their  republican  notions  into  private  life. 
Society  is  more  exclusive  than  in  the  old  country ; 
perhaps,  not  being  sure  of  its  own  footing,  it  is  afraid 
of  tripping,  and  watches  warily  lest  any  stray  free 
lance  should  penetrate  its  interior ;  each  circle  revolves 
within  itself,  rarely  running  one  into  another.  Whole- 
sale and  retail  mix  freely  in  all  commercial  matters, 
are  "  Hail,  fellow !  well  met !  "  on  the  cars  or  in  the 
streets,  but  on  the  threshold  of  home  they  part.  The 
merchant,  who  sells  a  thousand  gallons  of  oil,  will 
not  fraternize  at  home,  or  be  weighed  in  the  social 
scale  with  the  vendor  of  a  farthing  dip.  It  is  always 
difficult  for  a  stranger  to  gain  admission  into  the  best 
New  York  society,  but  if  you  are  once  well  introduced, 
it  opens  its  arms  and  its  heart  to  you  with  an  hospi- 
tality that  is  genial  and  thorough.  After  revolving 
round  its  magic  circle  for  a  time,  you  will  carry  away 
with  you  such  reminiscences  of  its  brilliant  coteries 
and  delightful  home  gatherings  as  you  will  not  easily 
forget. 

We  are  able  to  take  but  a  casual  survey  of  the 
Empire  City,  and  enjoy  for  a  brief  space  the  hospitality 
so  freely  extended  to  us.  We  are  on  our  way  to  the 
West,  and  are  anxious  to  cross  the  Kocky  Mountains 
before  the  severe  weather  set  in.  Before  we  start  on 
our  long  journey,  we  run  up  the  Hudson,  and  spend  a 
few  days  at  West  Point,  celebrated  for  the  great  mill- 


66  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

tary  college ;  it  is  a  delightful  excursion  of  about  three 
hours,  the  river  winding  through  a  panorama  of  lovely 
scenery,  the  banks  on  either  side  wearing  their  varie- 
gated autumn  dress  of  crimson  and  gold  and  green ; 
but  it  is  at  West  Point  itself  we  realize  the  full  glory 
and  effect  of  the  gorg'eous  autumn  colouring.  Wonder- 
fully indeed  has  nature  painted  the  land  ;  the  maples 
are  clothed  in  glowing  crimson,  and  the  chestnut  and 
the  ash  wear  their  warm-tinted  robes  beside  them, 
while  covering  the  hundred  hills  around  and  over- 
spreading the  undulating  land  are  bold  patches  of 
purple,  orange,  browns,  gold  and  greens  of  many 
shades,  such  as  an  artist  would  love  to  dream  of.  It  is 
one  gigantic  God-painted  mosaic  (for  such  colours 
could  not  be  manufactured  by  earthly  hands),  with  a 
background  of  cool  November  sky. 

West  Point  itself  is  like  a  bit  of  an  earthly  para- 
dise ;  it  stands  high  above  the  river,  'and  is  surrounded 
by  scenery  that  is  both  picturesque  and  grand.  You 
may  lose  yourself  in  its  delightful  solitudes  within 
sound  of  the  College  bells  ;  the  river  winds  in  and  out 
about  the  skirts  of  West  Point  like  a  huge  silver  ser- 
pent ;  from  the  terrace  of  the  hotel  there  is  a  mag- 
nificent view  of  hill  and  dale,  wood  and  water,  which 
reminds  one  strongly  of  the  loveliest,  loneliest  part  of 
the  lake  of  Lucerne. 

There  is  plenty  of  gaiety  for  those  who  like  it : 
daily  parades,  military  bands,  balls,  picnics  and  kettle- 
drums ;  and  during  the  summer  season  the  hotels — 
there  are  but  two — are  crowded  with  the  rank  and 
fashion  of  the  State. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TO    THE    PHCENIX   CITY. 

We  Start — Our    Car — Our   Dressing-room — Chicago — Its   Park — 
The  Palmer  House. 

OF  the  many  routes  to  San  Francisco  we  chose  the 
Pennsylvania  line  of  railway,  which  takes  us  as  far  as 
Chicago,  having  been  informed  by  some  old  tourists 
that  we  should  find  it  by  far  the  most  picturesque  and 
agreeable,  besides  being  the  smoothest  to  run  over,  the 
rails  being  steel  and  laid  with  special  care,  and  the 
new  carriages  being  built  with  all  consideration  for  the 
comfort  and  convenience  of  their  passengers.  We  had 
rather  a  dread  of  American  railways,  having  heard  so 
much  of  their  reckless  speed  and  wilful  disregard  of 
all  rules  and  regulations,  that  we  started  on  our 
journey  in  some  trepidation  of  spirit,  with  a  nervous 
feeling  that  something  must  happen  before  the  end  of 
it.  But  we  gained  confidence  as  we  discovered  the 
surprising  fact  that  life  is  equally  dear  to  its 
owners  here  as  at  home,  and  that  drivers,  engineers, 
and  other  employes  are  as  attentive  to  their  duties  here 
as  in  any  other  quarter  of  the  globe.  We  settled  our- 
selves comfortably  in  the  seats  of  our  luxurious  Pull- 
man car,  and  prepared  to  enjoy  the  scenery. 


68  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

We  fly  swiftly  through  the  highly  cultivated  State 
of  Pennsylvania ;  for  three  or  four  hundred  miles,  we 
are  surrounded  by  a  panorama  of  picturesque  beauty — 
sparkling  rivers,  winding  through  undulating  hills  and 
verdant  plains,  with  here  and  there  pretty  villages 
creeping  up  the  green  hill-sides  or  nestling  at  their 
feet.  Presently  something  that  looks  like  a  dark 
wriggling  worm,  with  a  fierce  fiery  eye,  comes 
wickedly  towards  us.  We  are  rounding  the  wonderful 
horseshoe  curve  ;  it  is  our  own  engine,  which  seems  to 
be  coming  in  one  direction  while  we  are  going  in 
another ;  but  it  is  all  right ;  it  drags  us  round,  and 
speeds  along  on  level  ground  once  more.  We  pass  the 
Alleghany  Mountains,  which  on  this  occasion  wear  a 
crown  of  jewelled  flames  leaping  in  lurid  fury  upon 
the  dusky  night,  as  though  they  were  trying  to  regain 
the  heaven  whence  they  had  first  descended.  We  pass 
Pittsburg,  with  its  thousand  furnaces  glowing  in  their 
own  murky  atmosphere,  flashing  their  flames,  like 
threatening  fires,  in  the  face  of  the  fair  white  moon. 

As  the  night  closes  in,  the  excitement  and  novelty 
of  our  day's  travel  calms  down,  and  we  turn  our 
attention  to  the  internal  arrangements  of  our  temporary 
home,  and  are  interested  in  watching  our  comfortable, 
velvet-cushioned  section  turned  into  a  cosy  sleeping- 
place  ;  soft  mattresses,  snowy  sheets,  and  warm,  gaily 
striped  blankets  are  extracted  from  behind  the  orna- 
mental panels  overhead ;  the  curtains  are  let  down ; 
and,  lo !  we  may  go  to  our  rest  as  soon  as  we  please. 
But  we  do  not  please  until  we  have  consulted  our  con- 
ductor, whose  sole  occupation  during  the  day  has  been 
walking  to  and  fro  the  cars,  punching  our  tickets  till 
they  resemble  a  piece  of  perforated  cardboard.  If  this 


TO    THE    PHOENIX   CITY.  69 

process  is  to  be  carried  on  during  the  night  we  think 
we  shall  have  small  chance  of  rest.  But  the  matter  is 
satisfactorily  settled;  we  may  sleep  in  peace.  That 
punching  process  is  our  bugbear  throughout  the 
entire  journey.  Some  are  so  careful  of  their  tickets 
that  they  never  can  find  them  when  they  are 
wanted  ;  and  the  appearance  of  the  conductor  is  the 
signal  for  a  general  hunt.  Pockets  are  ransacked, 
portmanteaus  are  turned  out,  people  nervously  feel 
themselves  all  over,  plunge  under  the  seats,  crawl 
over  the  floor.  "  It  must  be  somewhere."  It  is  found 
at  last,  perhaps  wedged  in  a  crack  of  the  window,  or  it 
has  dropped  into  the  luncheon-basket  and  is  extracted 
from  a  jelly-jar,  strongly  impregnated  with  an  odour  of 
pepper  and  cheese.  I  pin  mine,  as  they  impale  blue- 
bottles and  butterflies,  on  the  side  of  the  car.  Gentle- 
men, as  a  rule,  dispose  of  theirs  easily  enough,  and 
wear  them,  like  a  dustman's  badge,  stuck  in  their 
hatbands,  or  like  a  cavalier's  order,  pinned  upon  their 
breasts. 

This  harmless  piece  of  cardboard  was  the  white 
elephant  of  our  lives.  We  never  knew  what  to 
do  with  it.  It  looked  so  little  and  meant  so  much. 
We  kept  early  hours  in  this  our  travelling  home,  and 
towards  nine  o'clock  the  lights  were  lowered,  and, 
soothed  by  the  monotonous  movement  and  rhythmical 
rumble  of  the  train,  we  were  soon  sleeping  as  calmly 
and  pleasantly  as  in  our  own  beds  at  home. 

Our  trial  came  in  the  morning,  when  we  marched 
to  the  dressing-room  to  perform  our  toilette  and  found 
a  whole  army  of  dishevelled  females,  armed  with 
tooth-brushes,  sponges,  etc.,  besieging  the  four-foot 
space  yclept  "  the  ladies'  dressing-room,"  each  waiting 


70  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

for  the  first  sign  of  surrender  to  march  in  and  take 
possession.  This  was  the  miserable  epoch  in  our  daily 
lives  through  all  the  overland  journey ;  in  everything 
else  our  car  life  was  delightfully  luxurious  and  pleasant. 
Perhaps  there  were  a  dozen  ladies  who  every  day  had 
to  grapple  with  the  same  difficulty  and  stand  shivering, 
all  more  or  less  en  deshabille  (rather  more  than  less), 
biding  their  time  to  take  temporary  possession  of  the 
solitary  soap-dish  and  basin  provided  for  their  ablu- 
tions. The  public  are  already  deeply  indebted  to 
Messrs.  Pullman  and  Co.  for  an  easy  and  luxurious 
mode  of  travelling,  but  the  debt  might  be  increased  a 
thousandfold  by  a  small  sacrifice  on  their  part.  By 
devoting  a  single  section  to  the  purpose  of  a  second 
dressing-room,  they  would  add  considerably  to  the 
accommodation  of  the  ladies,  and  might  fairly  issue  a 
placard  of  "  Travelling  made  Perfect." 

No  hotel  or  dining-cars  accompany  the  morning 
train  from  New  York,  but  eating-stations  are  erected 
at  certain  portions  of  the  road,  where  you  may  get  rid 
of  the  most  wolfish  appetite  at  an  admirably  spread 
table,  and  plenty  of  time  allowed  for  the  knife  and  fork 
engagement. 

On  the  second  day  we  found  ourselves  rushing 
along  the  wide  plains  of  Indiana,  a  sea  of  tall,  sweet 
Indian  corn  on  either  side,  its  beaded  cob,  like  shining 
ivory,  gleaming  from  its  leaf  of  tender  green.  We 
reached  Chicago  that  evening,  and  were  most  kindly 
received  at  the  Palmer  House,  a  palatial  hotel  built  by 
Mr.  Potter  Palmer  for  the  luxurious  entertainment  of 
the  travelling  public.  It  is  more  like  an  elegantly 
appointed  home  than  a  mere  resting-place  for  such 
birds  of  passage  as  ourselves.  Each  suite  of  apart- 


TO   THE    PHCENIX    CITY.  71 

ments  is  perfect  in  itself,  with  a  bath-room  and  every 
convenience  attached,  richly  curtained  and  carpeted, 
with  luxurious  lounges  and  the  easiest  of  easy-chairs  ; 
once  settled  in  their  soft  embrace  it  is  difficult  to  tear 
one's  self  from  their  downy  arms.  Being  cosily  in- 
stalled beneath  this  hospitable  roof,  one  feels,  like  "poor 
Joe"  disinclined  to  "move  on."  The  spacious  halls  and 
corridors  are  furnished  in  accord  with  other  portions  of 
the  house.  The  walls  are  lined  with  fauteuils,  sofas, 
and  all  the  appointments  of  a  handsome  drawing-room. 

As  soon  as  we  had  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  bath 
(and,  after  two  days'  dusty  travel,  what  a  luxury  that 
is !),  we  went  to  the  dining  saloon  in  search  of  our 
dinner,  and  found  an  unusually  good  one,  excellently 
served  and  abundantly  supplied.  If  we  had  stayed 
for  a  month  and  eaten  pro  rata  as  at  our  first  meal, 
we  should  have  ruined  our  digestive  organs  and  re- 
joiced in  internal  discords  for  ever  afterward.  Our 
menu  was  illustrated.  On  one  side  was  depicted  a 
pigstye  and  a  hovel — "  Chicago  forty  years  ago."  On 
the  other  was  a  wonderful  city — "  The  Chicago  of 
to-day ! " 

Knowing  of  the  fiery  scourge  which  a  few  years 
ago  had  marred  and  scarred  the  beauty  of  that  fair 
city,  we  expected  to  find  traces  of  ugliness  and  de- 
formity everywhere,  crippled  buildings,  and  lame, 
limping  streets  running  along  in  a  forlorn  crooked 
condition,  waiting  for  time  to  restore  their  old  vigour 
and  build  up  their  beauty  anew.  But,  Phcenixlike, 
the  city  has  risen  up  out  of  its  own  ashes,  grander  and 
statelier  than  ever.  On  the  outskirts  the  line  of  fire 
can  still  be  traced;  gaunt  skeletons  of  houses  still 
remain  to  point  the  way  it  took,  and  more  than  one 


72  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

ruined  church,  stripped  of  its  altar  and  regal  signs  of 
grace,    stands   blind    and    helpless   in   the   sunshine ; 
while    in    the    suburbs    picturesque    shells    of    once 
beautiful  homes  greet  us  here  and  there.     But  once 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  city  we  lose  all  traces 
of  the  conflagration.      The  business  streets  are  lined 
with   handsome   massive   houses,    some   six   or   seven 
stories  high,  substantially  built,  sometimes  of  red  brick 
with  stone  copings  and  elaborate  carving,  while  others 
are  built  of  that  creamy  stone  which  reminds  one  of 
the    Paris    boulevards.      No    wooden    buildings    are 
allowed  to  be  erected  within  a  certain  distance  of  the 
city.     The  fashionable  trading  localities  are  State  and 
Clark  streets,  though  there  are  several  others  which 
are  well   patronized  by  a  less   fashionable   multitude. 
On  either  side  are  large  handsome  drygoods,  millinery, 
and  other  stores  of  all  possible  descriptions,  the  win- 
dows being  arranged  with  a  tasteful  elaboration  that 
might  stand  side  by  side  with  our  fashionable  estab- 
lishments at  home,  and  lose  nothing  by  the  comparison. 
The  different  banks,  churches,  and  municipal  buildings 
which  had  been  destroyed  by  the  great  fire-fiend  are 
all  re-erected  in  a  substantial  style,  though  with  vary- 
ing degrees  of  eccentric  architecture.     The  new  water- 
works, situated  at  the  northern  end  of  the  city,  are  the 
most  beautiful  illustrations  of  the  vagaries  of  the  archi- 
tectural brain.     It  must  have  wandered  into  dreamland 
and  caught  up  its  prevailing  idea,  for  never  were  so 
many  cupolas    and   buttresses,  pinnacles    and   towers, 
grouped  together  on  one  spot ;  none  but  a  true  artist 
could  have  arranged  them  into  so  harmonious  a  whole,  \ 
and  produced  from  a  combination  of  such  opposite  forms  1 
so  imposing  an  effect. 


TO    THE    PHCENIX   CITY.  73 

A  painter  may  indulge  in  all  the  eccentricities  of 
his  genius,  may  derive  his  inspiration  from  what  source 
he  will,  there  is  no  restriction  to  the  realms  of  his  art. 
He  may  choose  his  subject,  and  illustrate  it  according 
to  his  own  fancy ;  he  may  wander  far  from  the  realms 
of  art,  and  give  to  the  wood  a  "  harmony  in  blue  and 
gold,"  or  a  "  study  in  brass  and  impudence,"  and  his 
productions  are  called  "  original."  But  if  an  architect 
outruns  the  bounds  prescribed  by  the  five  orders  of 
architecture,  and  dares  to  give  play  to  his  fancy,  his 
work  is  stigmatized  as  "  bastard  art,"  and  he  is  con- 
sidered a  fit  subject  for  a  lunatic  asylum.  On  our 
drives  through  and  about  the  city  we  were  struck  by 
the  dearth  of  trees.  There  were  no  signs  of  pleasant 
green  shade  anywhere  ;  they  had  all  been  destroyed 
by  the  great  fire.  Streets  and  avenues  had  been  re- 
built, and  they  were  replanting  as  fast  as  they  could  ; 
bat  nature  will  not  be  hurried  in  her  work,  her  children 
must  have  time  to  grow,  and  though  her  fairest  fruits 
are  sometimes  forced  into  an  unnatural  growth,  she 
revenges  herself  by  robbing  them  of  their  sweetest 
flavour. 

Along  the  shore  road  we  drove  to  the  park  at  the 
northern  end  of  the  city,  which  gives  promise  of  being 
a  delightful  promenade  and  recreation  ground  ;  but  it 
is  at  present  only  a  park  in  embryo,  though  it  is  grow- 
ing rapidly.  Flowers  and  shrubs  are  being  planted, 
grassy  knolls  built  up,  and  paths  and  winding  ways 
cut  and  gravelled.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years  it 
will  have  outgrown  its  present  ragged  state,  and  have 
bloomed  into  a  delightful  pleasure-ground,  with  the 
whispering  waves  of  that  inland  sea,  Lake  Michigan, 
kissing  with  soft  foam  lips  its  grassy  slopes,  while 


74  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

great  ships  go  sailing  and  steamers  ride  royally  on  the 
breast  of  the  wide  waters  on  one  side,  and  the  great 
city,  with  its  hubbub,  bustle,  and  roar,  lies  upon  the 
other.  Chicago  is  indeed  a  great  city,  full  of  energy 
and  enterprise.  Signs  of  its  hidden  strength  and 
powers  of  progress  greet  us  everywhere ;  but  at 
present  it  appears  to  be  wholly  devoted  to  money- 
making.  Art,  science  (except  such  science  as  serves 
its  purpose),  and  literature  are  in  a  languishing  state. 
But  it  is  young  yet.  Perhaps  when  it  is  fully 
developed,  and  grown  strong  in  muscle,  and  bone, 
and  brain,  the  soul  may  be  born  to  glorify  the 
commonplace,  and  stir  the  latent  genius  of  this  city 
into  life  and  beauty. 

With  some  regret  we  sit  down  to  our  last  dinner  in 
this  bright,  bustling  city,  and  go  to  bed  to  dream  of 
to-morrow,  for  in  the  morning  we  begin  our  journey 
west,  and  the  magnet  which  has  drawn  us  across  the 
sea  lies  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WESTWARD    HO  ! 

Travelling  Hotel — The  Prairies— The  Emigrant  Train— Bret 
Harte's  Heroes — Eeception  of  General  Grant  in  the  Wild 
West — "  See,  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes  " — The  Procession. 

THE  next  morning  we  started,  via  the  Chicago  and 
Northwestern  Railway,  for  Omaha.  This  is  a  most 
desirable  route,  over  even,  well-laid  rails,  the  carriages 
easy  and  luxurious,  and  we  are  whirled  along  over 
the  illimitable  prairie  lands  with  a  pleasant,  gliding, 
almost  noiseless  motion,  which  recalled  to  our  minds 
the  gondola  movement  on  the  Grand  Canal  at  Venice  ; 
this  we  are  told  is  owing  to  some  new  invention  of 
india-rubber  or  paper  wheels  which  the  company  have 
applied  to  their  carriages,  which  greatly  adds  to  the 
comfort  of  their  travellers.  It  was  here,  for  the  first 
time,  we  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  the  hotel  car.  We 
were  getting  hungry,  and  curious  to  know  what  good 
things  the  gods  would  provide  for  us.  Presently  a 
good-humoured  negro,  "  God's  image  carved  in  ebony," 
clothed  all  in  white,  brought  us  a  bill  of  fare  from 
which  to  select  our  meal.  It  was  an  embarras  de 
richesses.  There  were  so  many  good  things  that  we 
held  a  consultation  as  to  what  would  form  the  most 


76  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

desirable  meal.  We  decided  on  mulligatawny  soup, 
broiled  oysters,  lamb  cutlets,  and  peas,  and  handed 
the  menu  back  to  our  swarthy  attendant.  A  narrow 
passage,  every  inch  of  which  is  utilized,  separates  the 
kitchen  from  the  rest  of  the  car.  How  is  it  that  in  so 
many  private  houses  the  odour  of  roast  and  broil  travels 
from  the  kitchen  and  insinuates  itself  into  the  remotest 
corner  of  the  house  ?  It  greets  you  on  the  doorstep 
and  follows  you  everywhere.  Here  the  occupants  of 
the  car,  but  a  few  feet  off,  have  no  suggestion  of  dinner 
till  it  is  placed  before  them. 

We  were  curious  as  to  the  working  of  the  culinary 
department,  and  animated  by  a  noble  desire  to  obtain 
knowledge  we  penetrated  the  sacred  precincts  of  the 
cook.  He  gazed  sternly  at  us  on  our  entrance,  but 
we  insinuated  ourselves  into  his  good  graces,  and  he 
showed  us  every  nook  and  corner  of  his  domain. 
The  kitchen  was  a  perfect  gem  of  a  place,  about 
eight  feet  square.  A  range  ran  along  one  side,  its 
dark,  shining  face  breaking  out  into  an  eruption  of 
knobs,  handles,  and  hinges  of  polished  brass  or 
steel.  Curious  little  doors  were  studded  all  over  it. 
One  opened  here  and  there  to  give  us  a  sniff  of  its 
savory  secrets,  then  shut  with  a  laughing  clang,  so 
playing  "  bo-peep  "  with  our  appetites.  Presently  we 
should  enjoy  the  full  revelation  of  its  culinary  secrets.  1 
Pots,  steamers,  and  "  bain  Marie  "  pans  were  simmer-] 
ing  on  the  top.  Every  requisite  for  carrying  on  the 
gastronomical  operations  was  there  in  that  tiny  space, 
in  the  neatest  and  most  compact  form.  Scrupulous 
cleanliness  reigned  supreme  over  all.  There  was  the 
pantry,  with  its  polished  silver,  glass,  and  china  in 
shining  array.  The  refrigerator,  with  a  plentiful 


WESTWARD    HO!  77 

Supply  of  ice,  and  the  larder  .were  side  by  side.  The 
wine  and  beer  cellar  was  artfully  arranged  beneath  the 
car;  none  but  he  who  possessed  the  secret  of  "open 
I  sesame"  could  get  access  to  it.  Thus  every  inch  of 
space  was  realized  to  its  utmost  extent.  It  was  like 
a  dominion  in  Toyland,  inhabited  by  an  ebony  giant, 
who  by  a  species  of  culinary  conjuring  produced  an 
epicure's  feast  from  a  handful  of  wood  and  charcoal. 
Towards  six  o'clock  every  table  was  spread  with 
dainty  linen,  and  the  dinner  was  exquisitely  served 
according  to  the  previous  orders  of  each  traveller. 
The  simplest  dish,  as  well  as  the  most  elaborate,  was 
cooked  to  perfection,  and  everybody  fell  to  with  a  will. 
Early  hours  were  kept  here  as  in  our  other  travelling 
home,  and  the  same  routine  was  pursued  in  the 
morning.  Breakfast  was  served  about  eight  o'clock. 
The  flat  prairie  land  rolled  away  rapidly  beneath  our 
iron  tread,  and  lay  in  long  dusky  lines  behind  us. 
Imperceptibly  the  scenery  around  us  changed.  We 
passed  a  succession  of  wild,  low-lying  hills,  brown 
and  bare ;  then  more  hills  growing  higher  and 
greener,  rising  out  of  the  swampy  lands,  where  herds 
of  cattle  and  wild  shaggy  ponies  were  standing  knee 
deep  and  grazing  among  the  red  willows  and  long 
green  grass.  The  skies  were  leaden,  the  wind  began 
to  blow,  and  the  rain  to  fall.  We  passed  a  quiet 
little  lake,  dotted  all  over  with  wild  ducks,  and  prairie 
birds  flying  restlessly  over  them.  Signs  of  life 
became  stronger.  We  flew  past  wooden  shanties,  and 
now  and  then  caught  sight  of  a  lonely  settler's  hut 
high  up  in  the  hills.  Presently  we  rolled  into  a  low, 
flat,  straggling  village,  or  rather  town,  for  every  group 
of  a  dozen  houses  is  so  dignified  here.  This  was 


78  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

Council  Bluffs.  Here  we  left  our  cosy  car,  and 
crossed  the  bleak  windy  space  which  yawned  between 
us  and  the  car  yclept  "  the  Dummy !  "  which  was  to 
carry  us  to  Omaha. 

We  were  crammed  into  a  long,  comfortless,  wagon-1 
like  car  with  a  host  of  nondescript  folk,  some  bearing 
babies,  bundles,  or  baskets  of  fish  or  vegetables,  some 
tattered  and  torn,  some  unshaven,  unshorn,  all  mixed 
up  higglety  pigglety.  It  was  stuffy  and  by  no  means 
savory,  for  the  windows  were  all  closed  to  keep  out 
the  wind  and  the  rain,  which  was  now  pouring  in 
torrents.  For  a  few  moments  we  looked  out  shivering 
on  the  most  desolate  prospect.  The  skies  were  heavy 
with  huge,  black  clouds,  whose  growling  thunders 
went  reverberating  like  a  cannonade  among  the 
surrounding  hills.  The  wind  howled  like  a  shrieking 
demon,  and  came  creeping  in  at  every  crevice,  till  we 
shivered  in  its  icy  grasp.  Dreary  without  and  dreary 
within  ! 

But  we  look  forward  hopefully.  In  half  an  hour 
we  shall  reach  Omaha,  where  we  expect  to  be  well 
housed  and  fed.  Slowly  we  begin  to  move.  Our 
"  dummy  "  finds  voice  enough  to  groan  and  pant  pain- 
fuliy  with  its  brazen  lungs  as  it  carries  us  across  the 
bridge  which  spans  the  Missouri  River  and  connects 
Omaha  with  Council  Bluffs.  The  bridge  is  a  mile 
long,  and  we  go  very  slowly  over  it.  The  river,  which 
at  this  point  is  the  colour  and  consistency  of  thick  pea 
soup,  or  a  liquefied  London  fog,  winds  with  a  sluggish 
motion  below  us,  wriggling  its  way  between  the  iron 
piers  with  a  sullen,  rebellious  gurgle,  as  though  it 
was  ashamed  of  its  defiled  condition,  and  hated 
to  be  driven  from  its  own  bright  waters,  which  were 


WESTWARD    HO  !  79 

sparkling  clear  as  crystal  not  so  many  miles  away. 
But  once  set  floating  in  a  muddy  stream  in  the  world 
of  waters,  as  in  the  world  of  men,  it  is  difficult  to 
mingle  with  the  pure  living  waters  again. 

At  last  we  creak  and  rumble  into  the  station  at 
Omaha.  Our  poor  dummy's  joints  are  rusty  and  want 
oiling.  It  seems  glad  to  stop,  and  so  are  we.  We 
glance  round  us,  and  feel  we  are  on  the  threshold  of  a 
new  world.  The  platform  is  crowded  with  a  motley 
assemblage  of  people,  from  which  the  "  genteel "  ele- 
ment seems  to  be  wholly  eliminated.  There  is  a 
hurrying  to  and  fro  of  many  feet,  a  general  bustle 
and  confusion  reigning  everywhere.  A  very  babel  of 
voices  is  ringing  round  us.  The  harsh  guttural  Ger- 
man, the  liquid  Italian,  and  the  mellifluous  Spanish 
mingles  with  the  Yankee  twang  and  Irish  brogue. 
The  emigrant  train  has  just  arrived  and  disgorged  its 
living  freight.  The  platform  overflows  with  them, 
they  are  everywhere,  all  with  a  more  or  less  travel- 
stained  look.  Having  been  penned  up  so  long  in  such 
close  quarters  they  are  glad  to  get  out  and  stretch 
their  legs  and  rinse  the  dirt  from  their  grimy  faces. 
Swarthy  men,  with  bare  arms,  are  splashing  about  in 
buckets ;  some  are  performing  their  ablutions  under 
the  pump,  or  in  anything  that  comes  handy.  One 
sad-eyed  German  woman,  with  a  child  in  her  arms, 
is  sitting  entrenched  amongst  an  army  of  bags  and 
bundles,  and  dipping  an  old  handkerchief  into  a 
pint  cup  of  water  is  wiping  her  child's  face  and  her 
own,  refreshing  themselves  as  they  best  could  there- 
with. I  stop  and  put  a  packet  of  candy  into  the  little 
one's  hand.  The  mother  stares  vacantly,  and  slowly 
extracting  a  copper  coin  from  a  poor,  little,  ragged 


80  THROUGH   CITIES   AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

purse,  which   she  drew  from  her   bosom,  offers  it  in 
payment. 

The  women  as  a  rule  look  faded,  wan,  and  anxious;] 
the  men  energetic  and  strong,  confident  and  assured, 
with  a  bright,  never-say-die  look  upon  their  faces. 

They  look  as  if  they  meant  "  work,"  and  were 
able  to  do  it.  There  seem  to  be  only  a  few  loafers 
and  loungers  scattered  among  them,  weak,  indolent 
creatures,  who  had  not  pluck  enough  to  fight  their 
way  in  their  own  land,  and  are  journeying  in  search 
of  a  general  El  Dorado,  a  sort  of  "  Tom  Tidler's 
ground,"  where  they  could  go  "  picking  up  gold  and 
silver." 

They  are  to  wait  three  hours  at  the  station  before 
they   resume   their    journey   west.      It   is   a   strange 
gathering,    that    flock    of    varying    nationalities,   all! 
bound  on  one  adventurous  errand — a  wave  of  the  Old 
World  breaking  on  the  shores  of  the  New. 

The  Grand  Pacific  Hotel  having  been  destroyed  by 
fire,  we  get  into  an  omnibus  which  conveys  us  to 
the  Cosmopolitan,  which  is  a  striking  contrast  to 
the  magnificent  hotels  which  have  hitherto  lined  our^ 
route.  It  is  second-rate  in  style,  but  also  second- 
rate  in  price.  No  lounges  ;  no  easy-chairs  ;  no  velvet 
carpets  under  foot.  The  floors  are  sanded  ;  the  chairs 
uncompromisingly  hard  and  upright :  but  the  beds 
are  comfortable  enough ;  meals  excellently  cooked, 
though  roughly  served.  We  enjoy  all  the  necessities, 
but  none  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  As  we  only  intend  to  ] 
remain  in  Omaha  for  a  day  we  walk  out  to  take  a  view 
of  the  town.  It  is  a  most  dreary,  desolate-looking  city, 
with  wide,  straggling,  dusty  streets,  and  next  to  nobody 
in  them.  The  shops  are  numerous  enough,  such  as  they 


WESTWARD    HO!  81 

are,  but  seedy-looking  and  scantily  supplied.     Nobody 
is  doing  anything ;  there  seems  to  be  nothing  to  do. 
The  shopkeepers  lounge  ill  their  doorways ;  they  don't 
appear  to  have  energy  enough  even  to  gossip  with 
their  neighbours.     The  very  children  seem  to  have  no 
heart  for  childish  roistering ;  their  spirits  droop  under 
the  atmospheric  depression ;   they  come  trooping  out 
of  school  and  wend  their  way  homeward  in  a  stolid, 
orderly  fashion.     The  side-streets  are  overgrown  with 
dank  grass  and  weeds ;  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city  little 
wooden  houses,  looking  exactly  as  if  they  had  come  out 
of  a  Noah's  Ark,  are  scattered  irregularly  about,  each 
standing   in  its  little   barren  patch  of  ground.     We 
spend    the    morning    in    wandering     through    these 
dusty,  windblown  streets.      We  return   to  the  hotel, 
take  a  hasty   lunch,  an  hour's  rest,  then  sally  forth 
again.       By    this     time     something    has    happened 
to   stir   the    dead   city   into    life.      For   the   hour   it 
is  roused  from  its  normal  condition.     The  shops  are 
closed,  the  population  has  turned  out  into  the  streets, 
and  people  come   flocking  in   from  all   parts   of   the 
country — some  on  foot,  some  in  ramshackle  old  vehicles 
which  look  as  though  they  had  never  worn  a  coat  of 
paint,    and    so    dilapidated   we    wonder    how     they 
manage   to   keep   together ;    the   wheels   seem   to   be 
struggling  to  run    different  ways,  but  the  big,  bony 
steed   draws  them   through    dust   and    mire,  till   the 
vantage-point  is  gained  in  the  streets  of  Omaha.     A 
few  fluttering  flags   are  now  flying.     The  Stars  and 
Stripes  are  everywhere,  and  on  turning  a  sharp  corner 
we  stand  face  to  face  with  a  triumphal  arch  built  up  of 
egg  boxes  and  old  beer  barrels,  which  are   partially 
covered  with  evergreens  and  paper  flowers,  and  in  big, 


82  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

blazing,  though  somewhat  tumbledown  letters  across 
the  top  is  written  "  Welcome  Grant." 

So  the  gallant  General  is  expected  to-day,  and  that 
is  the  cause  of  the  commotion.  He  is  to  make  a 
royal  progress  through  the  streets  of  Omaha,  and  all 
the  city  turns  out  to  do  him  honour,  though  the  female 
part  of  the  population  is  sparsely  represented.  Indeed 
there  is  scarcely  a  woman  to  be  seen  out  of  doors.  It 
is  here  we  gain  our  first  view  of  the  Western  man  pre- 
cisely as  he  lives  in  the  pages  of  Bret  Harte  &  Co., 
where  we  have  so  often  seen  him  in  our  mind's  eye; 
but  here  he  is  a  personality  before  us — dark,  hollow- 
cheeked,  stern-visaged,  slouch-hatted,  top-booted ;  there 
are  scores  of  him,  hundreds  of  him ;  he  tramps  along 
the  side-walk,  he  overflows  into  the  stony  roadway. 
The  aspect  of  this  swarm  of  rough,  unkempt  men  is 
rather  alarming  to  us  unprotected  females.  But  "  he 
roars  him  soft,"  and  respectfully  makes  way  for  us  to 
pass.  It  seems  strange  to  find  a  silent,  well-ordered 
crowd  formed  of  such  rough  elements.  There  is  no 
horse-play,  no  vulgar  u  chaff,"  or'  foul  language,  such 
as  would  characterize  a  similar  crowd  in  most  of  our 
civilized  cities.  But,  alas!  the  romance  that  might  cling 
to  this  Western  hero  is  spoiled  by  his  personal  habits. 
He  has  small  acquaintance  with  soap  and  water,  and 
he  chews  tobacco.  The  result  which  marks  his  track 
wherever  he  wanders  is  visible  and  revolting.  How- 
ever, he  is  stout  of  limb  and  true  of  heart.  We  feel 
instinctively  that  a  rude  word  or  discourteous  act  in 
our  presence  is  simply  impossible, -so  we  lift  our  un- 
protected heads  and  march  on  triumphant.  We  feel 
we  must  keep  moving,  though  we  are  disposed  to  lag 
and  see  what  is  to  be  seen  of  the  show.  We  have  not 


WESTWARD   HO!  83 

sauntered  many  steps  when  the  engine  bell  rings. 
"  Lo  !  the  conquering  hero  comes  !  "  There  is  a  buzz, 
a  general  stir,  and  all  eyes  are  turned  in  one  direc- 
tion. We  fall  back,  and  are  promoted  to  a  position  in 
the  front  rank  on  the  curbstone. 

There  was  a  coal-black  negress  on  one  side  of  us, 
dressed  in  a  pale-blue  dress  with  white  trimmings,  a 
scarlet    shawl,  a   pink   bonnet   with   red   and   yellow 
roses,  and  a   pea-green  parasol.      She  was  evidently 
happy,  and  her  white  teeth  gleamed  through  a  wreath 
of  smiles.      The  procession  came  in  sight  headed  by 
a  band  of  music,  a  huge  drum  being  the  chief  in- 
strument ;    fifes    and    flutes    squeaking   their   loudest, 
each  trying  to  get  ahead  of  the  other,  running  a  race 
with  time  rather  than  trying  to  keep  it.     The  poor 
"  Star    Spangled    Banner "   was    torn   with   discords, 
tattered  in  tune,  its  own  creator  would  not  have  known 
it.     Next  came  the  General  in  an  old-fashioned  coach 
drawn  by  six   horses,  evidently   promoted   from  the 
ploughshare   for   this    special    occasion.     Mrs.    Grant 
followed,   with   her   son   and    some   lady   friends,   all 
looking  smiling,  good-tempered,  and  happy,  as  though 
the  dreary  boredom  of  a  reception  awaited  them  not. 
Then   came   a   curious   procession   of  wagons,   repre- 
senting the  different  trades  of  the  town.     There  was 
the   blacksmith,   hammer  in   hand,    labouring   at   the 
anvil,  bellows  blowing,  sparks   flying   round  him   as 
though  he  were  in  his  native  smithy ;  the  cutler,  the 
nailmaker,   the   carpenter,   the    cooper,   etc.,   all   sur- 
rounded by  the  implements  of  their  trade,  and  plying 
them,  too,  with  a  will.     Last  of  this  novel  procession 
came  a  wagon  filled  with  pretty  young  girls,  all  busily 
engaged    hemming,     sewing,    and    frilling    at    their 


84  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

different  sewing-machines.  This  closed  the  procession, 
and  "  The  Magnificent  Reception  of  General  Grant  by 
the  Citizens  of  Omaha"  was  duly  chronicled.  It 
flashed  along  the  telegraph  wires  and  flamed  in  the 
face  of  the  world  before  the  sun  had  set. 

The  multitude  melted  away  as  quietly  as  it  had 
collected,  and  we  went  on  our  way  to  the  Pullman  car 
office  to  secure  our  section  for  the  morning.  The  clerk 
was  with  the  Reception  Committee,  and  we  had  to 
wait  for  his  return.  We  were  entertained  meanwhile 
by  the  rhapsodies  of  one  of  the  General's  wildest 
admirers,  who  turned  on  the  tap  of  conversation  and 
filled  us  to  the  brim  with  voluntary  information. 

"  I  fought  under  the  General  fourteen  years  ago. 
Ah !  he's  a  man,  the  General  is !  Talk  of  him  being 
President !  He  ought  to  be  emperor.  There'd  be 
no  disunited  States  while  he  was  around,  I  warrant. 
I  haven't  seen  him  for  years,  but  he  knew  me.  They 
stopped  at  the  corner  of  Tenth ;  I  jumped  on  the 
carriage  steps :  '  Hurrah,  General,'  says  I,  '  I  fought 
under  you  at ' 

"  '  All  right !  '  says  he,  and  shook  hands.  Ah  ! 
he's  a  smart  fellow.  No  other  general  could  have  done 
what  he  did." 

A  tall  aristocratic  looking  man,  who  was  standing 
by^  waiting  Ms  -turn ,  moved  coolly  away  from  the 
group. 

The  face  of  the  General's  friend  knotted  itself  into 
an  expression  of  deep  disgust.  He  evidently  deemed 
that  cold  water  was  thrown  on  his  enthusiasm. 

"  There  goes  a  copperhead,"  he  snarled.  "  I  can 
smell  'em  a  mile  off.  /  We  haven't  done  with  'em  yet : 
we've  only  scotched  the  snake,  not  killed  it ;  we  shall 


WESTWARD    HO!  85 

have  to  thrash  'em  again,  and  I'll  be  the  first  to  shoulder 
a  musket." 

In  this  strain  he  continued.  We  transacted  our 
business  and  descended  the  stairs.  His  voice  followed 
us,  growing  more  fiercely  eloquent,  til]  we  were  out  of 
hearing.  I  fancy  he  had  been  drinking  the  General's 
health  too  freely. 

We  were  not  very  sorry  to  leave  Omaha  next 
morning,  for  we  had  rested  little  during  the  night, 
having  made  a  bad  selection  of  rooms.  Our  door 
opened  on  to  the  general  parlour  (all  sitting-rooms  are 
called  parlours),  and  a  gruff,  growling  wave  of  conver- 
sation swept  over  our  ears  from  time  to  time  till  long 
past  midnight.  Indeed,  we  were  kept  lively  in  more 
ways  than  one.  Meanwhile  a  violent  rain  began  to 
fall,  and  beat  frantically  against  our  window  panes, 
and  I  dreamt  that  the  whole  sky  was  turned  into  a  dome 
of  whalebone  and  calico,  and  this  globe  of  ours  was 
whirling  around  beneath  a  gigantic  umbrella.  I  was 
not  sorry  when  our  twenty-four  hours  at  Omaha  were 
over. 


86  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ACROSS   THE    ROCKY   MOUNTAINS. 

Our  Fellow-passengers — Unprotected  Females — Prairie  Dog  Land 
— A  Cosy  Interior — Cheyenne — The  Rocky  Mountains — 
"  Castles  not  Made  by  Hands  " — Ogden. 

WE  start  once  more  on  our  pleasant  Pullman  car ;  we 
arrange  our  tiny  packages  and  make  ourselves  as  much 
as  possible  "  at  home  "  in  our  cosy  section.  The  car  is 
crowded,  as  the  different  lines  of  railway  end  here,  and 
all  who  are  westward  bound  must  come  on  this  one 
daily  train  from  Omaha.  We  look  round  on  our 
fellow-passengers.  As  a  rule,  they  are  simply  common- 
place, such  as  nature  manufactures  by  millions  and 
turns  out  merely  labelled  men  and  women,  with  no 
special  characteristics  except  their  sex.  There  are, 
however,  some  exceptions.  In  the  opposite  section  is 
a  big,  burly  fellow  in  jackboots,  a  huge  sombrero,  a 
frieze  coat,  which  looks  as  though  it  ought  to  be  stuck 
full  of  bowie-knives  and  pistols,  and  such  a  growth 
of  crisp  dark  hair,  he  seems  smothered  under  it ; 
a  pair  of  bright  eyes  gleam  out  from  its  bushy 
surroundings,  full  of  enterprise,  energy,  and  spirit ; 
he  is  a  miner,  we  learn,  going  on  by  stage  two 
hundred  miles  from  Cheyenne  to  the  Black  Hills.  The 
companion  of  his  section  is  a  tall,  delicate-looking 


ACROSS    THE    ROCKY   MOUNTAINS.  87 

young  man,  so  thin  and  fragile  it  seems  as  though  a 
gust  of  wind  would  blow  him  out  of  this  world  into 
the  next.  He  rarely  speaks,  but  sits  leaning  his  head 
upon  his  hand,  coughing  the  terrible,  hacking  cough 
which  tells  a  sad  story.  He  is  travelling  in  search 
of  health,  he  tells  us;  the  more  eagerly* he  pursues, 
the  faster  it  seems  to  fly  from  him.  In  our  mind's 
eye  we  see  the  phantom  Death  chasing  him  from 
land  to  land ;  it  will  too  surely  run  him  down  and 
lay  him  to  rest  beneath  the  bright  Californian  skies, 
and  hide  him  from  the  world's  eyes  where  even  his 
own  mother  will  never  be  able  to  find  him.  We  are 
sorry  to  see  this  forlorn  stranger  solitary  and  alone ; 
we  are  anxious  to  show  him  some  sympathy,  but 
there  is  nothing  to  be  done ;  it  hurts  him  to  talk,  and 
he  has  all  he  wants  within  reach  of  his  own  hands. 
His  rough  companion,  bound  for  the  Black  Hills, 
seems  to  take  a  tender  interest  in  him,  and  shows  his 
sympathy  in  a  silent,  unobtrusive  way  difficult  to 
specify.  In  the  next  section  to  ours  there  is  a  pretty 
young  girl ;  she  is  travelling  quite  alone  from  Boston 
to  Arizona,  a  journey  of  twelve  days  and  nights,  in 
perfect  comfort  and  safety.  A  lady  can  do  that  in  this 
country  without  running  the  slightest  risk  of  annoy- 
ance or  inconvenience  in  any  way.  The  conductors 
and  all  the  train  officials  devote  themselves  most 
loyally  to  her  service,  and  are  always  at  hand  to  give 
her  any  advice  or  information  she  may  require.  They 
pass  her  on  from  train  to  train  or  from  stage  to  stage 
till  she  arrives  at  the  end  of  her  journey,  having 
received  the  same  courteous  attention  throughout. 
Indeed,  to  thoroughly  enjoy  travelling  in  perfect  com- 
fort and  freedom  from  anxiety,  one  must  be  an  unpro- 


88  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

tected  female.  To  her  the  manly  heart  yields  his 
interest  in  car  or  stage ;  gives  her  the  best  seat,  that 
she  may  be  screened  and  curtained,  while  he  broils  in 
the  sun  ;  for  her  he  fights  a  way  to  the  front  ranks  of 
refreshment  rooms,  skirmishes  with  the  coffee-pot,  and 
bears  triumphant  ices  aloft ;  for  her  he  battles  with 
baggage-masters,  baffles  the  hungry-hearted  loafer, 
scares  the  barefooted  beggar,  and,  not  being  her  legi- 
timate owner,  he  carries  her  bandbox,  and,  should  she 
be  burdened  with  that  doubtful  blessing,  he  even 
carries  her  baby  !  I  have  seen  him  do  it.  There  was 
a  general  demand  upon  his  chivalry  on  board  this  car, 
but  there  was  plenty  of  him  and  only  four  of  us. 
Besides  ourselves  and  the  pretty  girl  before  referred 
to,  there  was  a  snuff-coloured  young  lady  with  snuff- 
coloured  hair,  snuff-coloured  eyes,  and  dress  to  match, 
a  greyish  complexion,  and  rather  grave,  sad  expression 
of  countenance.  She  was  not  good-looking,  but  one 
felt  an  interest  in  watching  her.  Her  face  had  a  story  j 
in  it. 

Having  so  far  taken  note  of  our  fellow-passengers, 
we  lean  back  in  our  seats  and  look  out  upon  the  vast 
prairie-lands,  which  roll  before  and  around  us  like  a 
grey-green,  motionless  sea.  The  prospect  is  wild  and 
dreary.  Occasionally  we  see  a  trapper's  dug-out  or 
watch  a  solitary  hunter  galloping  towards  his  hut  some- 
where up.  in  the  distant  mountains.  The  scene  grows 
monotonous  ;  nay,  wearisome.  Nothing  but  the  grey- 
green  prairie-land  and  bright  blue  sky ;  the  novelty  of 
it  has  worn  off.  Presently  we  come  upon  the  prairie  5 
dogs'  wild  domain,  and  see  scores  of  these  funny  little  * 
animals  scampering  along  till  they  reach  each  his  par- 
ticular hole,  where  he  sits  on  his  hind  legs  a  moment, 


ACROSS   THE    ROCKY    MOUNTAINS.  89 

glancing  curiously  round  and  listening,  then,  turning 
a  somersault,  disappears,  head  first,  down  his  burrow. 
They  are  plump  little  creatures,  like  guinea  pigs,  only 
much  larger,  and  something  the  colour  of  the  prairie- 
grass  ;  they  are  sociable  little  animals,  and  live  not  only 
in  the  companionship  of  their  own  kind,  for  the  bur- 
rowing owl  and  even  the  rattlesnake  seem  to  form  part 
of  the  family.  The  owl  may  often  be  seen  solemnly 
sitting  at  the  mouth  of  the  hole,  and  the  bones  of  the 
rattlesnake  have  not  unfrequently  been  found  therein. 
Once  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  herd  of  antelopes  flying, 
like  the  wind,  across  the  plain.  They  have  come  and 
gone  like  a  flash  ;  nothing  more  breaks  the  monotony 
of  that  day's  journey. 

The  blinding  sunlight  dazzles  our  eyes ;  we  with- 
draw them  from  the  scene  without  and  glance  round 
upon  the  cheerful  prospect  within.  Some  are  indulging 
in  reminiscences  of  old  times,  when  it  had  taken  them 
six  weary  months  of  toil,  privation,  and  danger  to 
cross  these  plains,  which  they  are  now  doing  luxuriously 
in  seven  days.  In  one  section  a  rubber  of  whist  is  in 
progress  in  sociable  but  solemn  silence  ;  in  another  a 
pair  of  travellers  bound  for  the  Black  Hills  are  engaged 
in  the  game  of  poker,  and  cut,  deal,  shuffle,  and  play 
with  such  rapidity  that  we  can  catch  no  idea  of  the 
game  ;  some  lounge  over  the  whist-table  watching  the 
players ;  the  snuff-colored  girl  leans  back  in  her  seat 
with  folded  hands  lying  idly  in  her  lap,  gazing  with 
vacant  eyes,  not  on  the  desolation  round  her,  but 
possibly  on  her  own  invisible  life,  which  may  be  a 
more  dismal  prospect  still ;  the  pretty  girl  gets  out  her 
tatting,  and  we  have  a  pleasant  chat  and  exchange 
small  confidences  together  :  her  parents  are  dead,  she 


90  THROUGH   CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

tells  me,  and  she  has  not  a  relation  in  the  world  except 
her  brother,  who  is  settled  in  Arizona,  and  she  is  now 
going  to  make  her  home  with  him. 

"  I  haven't  seen  him  since  I  was  three  years  old," 
she  added,  showing  his  portrait ;  "  he  is  sixteen  years 
older  than  I  am/' 

"  You  are  quite  sure  of  a  welcome  ?  " 
"  Oh  yes ;   I  know  he'll  be   glad   to   see  me.     He 
wanted  me  to  come,  and  he  is  such  a  good  brother," 
she  added,  confidently.     "  He'll  come  to  meet  me  in 
San  Francisco,  if  he  can." 

So  time  passes  till  we  reach  Cheyenne.  There  wej 
all  turn  out  in  anticipation  of  having  a  thoroughly 
good  meal,  and  are  not  disappointed.  We  enjoy  a 
capital  dinner,  a  very  necessary  thing  in  these  moun- 
tain regions.  The  hot  soup  is  excellent ;  then  we  have 
broiled  trout  and  a  roast  of  black-tailed  deer,  the  most 
delicious-flavoured,  tender  meat  conceivable ;  fresh 
vegetables  and  fruits  are  plentifully  supplied ;  and,  as 
a  crowning  bliss,  we  enjoy  the  luxury  of  black  coffee  ; 
and,  in  a  perfectly  happy,  contented  frame  of  mind,  we 
re-enter  our  Pullman  home. 

Everybody  is  content,  and  everybody  has  a  good 
word  for  Cheyenne.  Why  is  it  that  things  are  not 
equally  well  managed  throughout  this  well-travelled 
route?  As  a  rule,  the  eating-stations  are  wretchedly 
supplied.  We  have  thrown  away  many  a  noble 
appetite  on  a  tough,  tasteless  steak  and  watery  soup, 
that  had  scarcely  strength  to  run  down  our  throats. 
Indeed,  Cheyenne,  Humboldt,  and  Laramie  are  the 
only  stations  where  a  thoroughly  good,  comfortable 
meal  may  be  relied  on.  A  well-filled  luncheon-basket 
is  a  necessity,  a  comfort,  as  well  as  an  economy,  for 


ACROSS  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.          91 

the  charges  at  these  places  are  a  dollar  for  anything, 
unless  you  crowd  to  the  emigrants'  refreshment  bar, 
where  cooking  is  by  no  means  studied  as  a  high 
art. 

Leaving  Cheyenne  we  charge  gallantly  forward, 
climbing  higher  and  higher,  till  we  are  in  the  regions 
of  snow  and  ice,  and  at  last  reach  Sherman,  the  highest 
point  of  these  Rocky  Mountains,  eight  thousand  two 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  rarefied 
air  affects  the  breathing  of  some  of  our  party,  and 
one  gallant  officer,  who  has  gone  through  the  smoke 
and  fire  of  many  battles  unharmed,  is  seized  with  an 
ignominious  bleeding  at  the  nose.  For  us,  we  suffer  not 
the  slightest  inconvenience.  We  have  left  the  rolling 
prairies  behind  us,  and  now,  by  imperceptible  grades, 
begin  to  descend  this  wide  range  of  Rocky  Mountains. 
Vast,  rugged,  and  bare  in  their  stony  strength  they  lie 
before  us  ;  a  bright  blue  sky  bends  bell-like  over  us, 
bathes  us  in  a  kind  of  spiritual  sunshine,  and  shuts  us 
in  from  the  troublous  world  beyond.  We  feel  we  are 
intruders  in  this  wondrous  solitude  ;  it  seems  as  though 
Nature  should  have  it  all  to  herself  here,  and  hurl  us 
poor  pigmies  out  of  it.  But  in  these  days  Nature  is 
allowed  to  hold  nothing  sacredly  her  own  ;  as  she 
retreats  we  follow  her  even  to  her  farthest  fastnesses, — 
in  time  we  shall  reach  her '  even  there.  Our  living 
street  dashes  on  through  this  world  of  the  olden  gods. 
We  fancy  that  in  some  far-distant  ages  this  must  have 
been  a  wide  overwhelming  sea,  lashed  to  fury  and  then 
turned  to  stone.  As  we  descend  the  scene  changes  ; 
the  rocks  assume  strange,  fantastic  forms,  weird,  solemn, 
or  grotesque.  On  every  side  we  are  surrounded  by 
some  new  wonder.  There  is  something  in  the  grandeur 


92  THROUGH   CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

of  this  silent  world  which  makes  us  feel  small  and  sad ; 
we  cease  talking,  and  are  borne  through  this  sublime 
region  in  awe-struck  silence. 

Euined  castles,  not  made  by  hands,  with  buttress 
and  battlements  falling  to  decay,  frown  darkly  over  us. 
The  remains  of  some  ancient  cathedrals,  where  we  can 
fancy  the  olden  gods  held  solemn  service,  cling  to  the 
grey  rock  beside  us.  But  tower  and  buttress,  castled 
crag  and  battlemented  ruins  fade  from  our  sight,  and 
we  come  upon  new  scenes  of  equal  wonder.  We  pass 
through  serried  swords  of  rock,  which  look  as  though 
they  had  been  lifted  there  by  some  dead  Hercules  at 
war  with  the  mightier  gods.  We  whistle  and  shriek  as 
we  rush  past  the  giant's  jaws,  whose  jagged  teeth  seem 
set  ready  to  grind  us  to  powder,  but  they  are  fixed 
immovable  till  the  judgment  day.  We  pass  the  Pulpit 
Rock,  where  the  stony  preacher  has  stood  silent  look- 
ing southward  since  the  world  began.  There  is  a 
tradition  that  the  Prophet  of  the  Lord,  the  leader  of 
the  Latter  Day  Saints,  whose  province  we  are  fast 
approaching,  once  preached  there  to  his  people  during 
their  early  perilous  journey,  while  they  were  ignorant 
of  the  marvellous  Salt  Lake  and  valleys  beyond,  where 
they  have  since  made  their  home.  There  are  numerous 
small  towns  and  villages'  hidden  away  among  those 
mountainous  regions,  which  are  intersected  by  fertile 
valleys,  and  where  beautiful  rivers  are  eternally  flow- 
ing ;  but  we  see  nothing  of  them,  we  are  only  told 
that  they  are  there.  We  are  now  entering  the  famous 
Echo  and  Weber  Canons,  of  which  we  had  heard  so 
much.  Here  the  grandeur  of  the  whole  rugged  range 
seems  to  have  reached  its  highest  point.  We  are  in  a 
narrow  gorge  between  rocks  of  colossal  and  majestic 


ACROSS  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.         93 

dimensions,  rising  perpendicularly  on  either  side  of  us, 
so  high  and  so  near  that  our  eyes  have  to  climb 
steadily  till  they  reach  the  topmost  peak.  We,  with 
our  petty  passions  and  frail  human  life,  the  last,  and, 
as  we  are  told,  the  best  of  all  God's  works,  feel  dwarfed 
and  insignificant  beside  these  gigantic  memorials, 
which  stand  through  all  ages  the  insignia  of  His  im- 
mortal honour  and  glory.  We  steam  for  miles  through 
this  rocky  world  of  wonders,  amid  a  stillness  so  pro- 
found that  the  whistle  of  our  engine  echoes,  re-echoes, 
and  is  flung  back  upon  our  ears  multiplied  and  sound- 
ing like  the  shrieks  of  invisible  demons  giving  us  a 
mocking  welcome  to  their  silent  land.  We  are  nearing 
the  narrows,  where  the  canon  is  drawing  its  rocky 
sides  together,  closing  us  in  as  it  were.  There  seems 
to  be  no  escape  for  us  ;  we  feel  as  though  we  must  be 
dashed  down  the  precipice  which  yawns  below.  But 
we  round  a  sharp  curve,  and  the  scene  widens.  On 
our  right  is  a  wide  ledge  of  rugged,  grey  rocks,  where, 
we  are  told,  the  Mormons  made  a  stand  in  1857,  and 
erected  a  fort  close  by,  the  ruins  of  which  are  still 
visible.  There  they  piled  up  masses  of  rock  and  stones 
to  hurl  down  upon  the  United  States  Army,  which 
it  was  found  expedient  to  send  against  them.  The 
Nauvoo  regiments,  we  are  told,  encamped  here  close 
beneath  the  prow  of  the  "  Great  Eastern,"  a  huge  red 
rock,  so  called  from  the  resemblance  it  bears  to  that 
portion  of  a  gigantic  vessel ;  a  small  cedar-tree  waves 
like  a  green  flag  over  it,  and  the  deck  and  other  parts 
of  the  stony  vessel  slope  away  and  are  swallowed  up 
and  lost  in  the  shapeless  mass  of  grey  rocks  surround- 
ing. A  little  farther  on,  sombre  and  weird,  stand  The 
Three  Witches,  as  though  whispering  together,  plotting 


94  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

mischief,  manufacturing  and  sending  forth  storms, 
hurricanes,  and  cyclones  to  devastate  the  world  of  man 
below.  Now  we  are ,  fast  approaching  what  is  perhaps 
the  most  marvellous  of  all  these  strange  formations, 
"The  Devil's  Slide,"  whither  his  Satanic  Majesty  is 
supposed  to  retire  for  gymnastic  exercises  when  he  has 
nothing  else  to  do,  which  is  not  often,  though  the 
"  City  of  the  Saints  "  is  so  near  at  hand.  It  is  formed 
of  two  slanting  walls  ahout  a  foot  thick,  which  stand 
out  with  their  ragged,  jagged  edges  about  fifty  feet, 
and  slope  down  the  face  of  the  huge  body  of  rock 
nearly  close  together,  but  leaving  room  for  a  whole 
company  of  fiends  to  amuse  themselves  by  sliding 
down  between  them.  We  flash  past  The  Thousand 
Mile  Tree,  the  solitary  green  thing  which  flourishes  in 
the  precipitous  wilds,  and  which  tells  us  we  are  a 
thousand  miles  from  Omaha,  and  within  an  hour's  ride 
of  Ogden.  The  night  closes  in  very  suddenly  in  these 
regions,  and  even  as  we  are  looking  on  the  wonders 
round  us  they  grow  indistinct,  and  are  soon  lost  in  the 
gloomy  shadow  which  comes  stealing  stealthily  down 
as  soon  as  the  sun  has  set. 

It  is  quite  dark  when  we  steam  into  the  station  ; 
the  gong  is  sounding  (with  that  whirring,  muffled, 
deafening  sound  which  only  a  Chinese  gong  can  make) 
an  invitation  to  dinner,  of  which  we  are  glad  enough 
to  avail  ourselves.  Porters  are  dashing  about  with 
lighted  lanterns,  luggage  is  lifted,  and  stacked,  and 
wheeled  across  the  platform  to  the  other  train,  for 
there  is  a  general  change  at  this  point:,  and  all  pas- 
sengers are  shifted  from  the  Union,  which  ends  here, 
to  the  Central  Pacific,  which  takes  up  the  journey  and 
progresses  westward.  An  hour  is  allowed  for  dinner, 


ACROSS   THE   ROCKY   MOUNTAINS.  95 

and  amid  the  clatter  of  knives  and  forks,  a  hurrying 
to  and  fro  of  many  feet,  the  sound  of  genial  voices, 
chatter  and  laughter,  we  dine.  Soon,  too  soon,  it 
seems,  the  now  familiar  cry  "All  aboard !  all  aboard !  " 
greets  our  ears.  A  few  hurried  good-byes  and  the 
westward  bound  speed  on  their  way.  We  watch  the 
red  fiery  eye  of  the  engine  light  fade  from  our  sight, 
as  it  winks  and  blinks  away  in  the  darkness.  We 
re-enter  the  house,  where  we  have  decided  to  remain 
for  the  night.  All  is  silent  and  deserted  now  that  the 
guests  of  an  hour  have  departed ;  the  lights  are  out, 
and  the  few  dusky  servants  flit  to  and  fro  in  a  noiseless 
way.  We  have  got  the  place  all  to  ourselves,  and 
have  plenty  of  time  to  look  about  us.  It  is  a  most 
comfortable  resting-place,  more  like  a  cosy  English  inn 
than  the  more  pretentious-sounding  hotel.  There  are 
no  houses  near  it,  the  town  of  Ogden  proper  being 
some  little  distance  off,  though  still  within  sight  of  the 
depot.  Our  resting-place  is  sandwiched  between  the 
two  lines  of  railway,  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific. 
It  is  a  long,  narrow,  wooden  building,  only  one  story 
high,  the  lower  part  being  devoted  to  railway  business 
purposes,  Pullman-car  office,  etc.,  and  a  large  dining- 
room,  where,  as  the  train  steams  in  with  its  freight  of 
hungry  travellers,  an  excellent,  well-cooked  meal  awaits 
them.  The  upper  part  consists  of  about  ten  or  twelve 
cosy  white-curtained  sleeping-rooms.  We  should 
advise  every  one  to  rest  here  for  a  night  on  their  way 
westward ;  it  forms  a  delightful  break  in  their  journey. 
Except  for  the  passing  trains  this  is  a  most  lonely, 
isolated  spot,  weird  and  still,  lying  in  the  heart  of  the 
mountains.  In  the  evening  a  blinding  snowstorm 
came  on,  and  the  wind,  howling  fearfully  with  a  rush- 


96  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

ing  mighty  sound,  shook  the  doors  and  rattled  at  the 
windows  as  though  it  wanted  to  come  in  and  warm 
itself  at  our  blazing  wood  fire.  As  I  said  before,  we 
were  the  only  guests  in  the  house,  and  the  landlady 
came  in,  bringing  her  work.  The  shaded  lamps  were  | 
lighted,  the  wood  crackled  and  blazed,  and  cast  a 
pleasant  glow  to  our  very  hearts  as  we  drew  our  chairs 
round  the  fire. 

Our  landlady  had  lived  in  this  locality  five  and 
twenty  years,  and  her  mind  was  well  stocked  with 
anecdotes,  and  filled  with  the  legendary  lore  of  these 
wild  regions.  She  opened  her  stores  to  us,  and,  as  she 
sat  sewing,  kept  our  interest  alive  till  nearly  midnight, 
telling  us  of  stormy  times,  interspersed  with  many 
romantic  incidents  during  the  early  days  when  the 
Mormons  first  crossed  the  plains,  previous  to  making 
their  home  among  the  mountains,  when  the  railway- 
was  unplanned,  unthought  of,  and  wagon  trains  of 
adventurous  men  and  women  made  their  slow  and 
hazardous  pilgrimage  to  the  Western  World. 

The  next  morning  we  took  the  train  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  found  ourselves  plunged  at  once  in  the  world 
of  Mormonland. 


(    97    ) 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    CITY   OF    THE    SAINTS. 

Salt    Lake  —  Our  Mormon   Conductor  —  Mormon   Wives  —  Their 
Daughters — Their  Recruits — Their  Agricultural  Population. 

THERE  are  few  passengers  on  board  the  train  as  we 
steam  through  the  suburban  districts  of  Mormonland. 
The  magnificent  chain  of  the  Wahsatch  Mountains 
rising  in  the  east,  and  the  great  Salt  Lake  stretching 
away  toward  the  west,  the  rest  of  the  scene  made  up 
of  fertile  lands,  green  meadows,  fields  of  yellow  corn, 
and  purple  clover,  form  an  enchanting  panorama  as  we 
fly  past  them ;  we  are  full  of  an  undefined  curiosity 
and  anxious  to  see  this  City  of  the  Saints  of  which  we 
have  heard  so  much.  We  soon  discover  that  none  but 
the  " Saints"  are  employed  on  board  this  train,  none  but 
Mormon  faces  gather  round  us,  they  check  our  baggage, 
punch  our  tickets,  and  render  us  every  necessary 
courtesy,  which  would  do  credit  to  the  gentlest  of 
Gentiles.  Our  conductor  seems  disposed  to  make  him- 
self quite  at  home ;  he  takes  a  seat  beside  us,  and 
commences  a  pleasant  conversation  ;  he  knows  we  are 
from  England,  and  proceeds  to  give  us  all  kinds  of 
miscellaneous  and  useful  information.  He  points  out 
the  different  features  in  the  landscape,  and  tells  us  of 
thrifty  villages  and  thriving  farms  which  are  scattered 


98  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

among  the  mountains.  He  talks  freely  of  the  flourish- 
ing condition  of  the  City  of  the  Saints  ;  but  he  avoids 
any  special  allusion  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  saints 
themselves.  During  our  two  hours'  run  from  Ogden 
to  Salt  Lake  City  he  grows  more  and  more  sociably 
disposed.  "We  try  to  guide  the  conversation  into  the 
channel  where  we  desire  it  should  go.  "We  wonder 
whether  he  is  a  Mormon  or  one  of  the  Gentile  sect, 
which  is  now  numerously  represented  in  that  once 
exclusive  land.  "We  ask  the  question  pointblank. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  I'm  proud  to  say  I  am,"  he  answers,  \ 
swelling  with  invisible  glory ;  it  is  now  he  informs  us 
that  the  whole  line  of  railway  was  built  by  the  Mormon 
people,  and  is  exclusively  run  by  them,  no  other  labour 
being  employed. 

"  I  came  here,"  he  adds,  "  when  I  was  six  years 
old,  when  our  people  were  forced  to  leave  Nauvoo.  I 
remember  trotting  along  by  my  mother's  side  as  we 
were  driven  out  of  the  city  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
the  soldiers  pricking  and  goading  us  like  cattle.  I 
shall  never  forget  that  time, — never,  if  I  live  to  be  a 
hundred  years  old ;  but  we  pulled  through,  and  here 
we  are  in  the  most  beautiful  and  flourishing  valley  in 
the  whole  wide  world." 

"  And — I  am  afraid  my  question  may  seem  imperti- 
nent— but  may  I  ask  how  many  wives  you  have?"  I  ask, 
growing  bolder.  He  laughs,  pulls  off  his  cap,  and 
exhibits  a  remarkably  fine  mass  of  bright  brown  curls. 

"  See  my  head  of  hair  !  "  he  exclaims.  "  Well,  I 
have  only  got  one  wife ;  if  I  took  home  another,  this 
head  of  mine  would  be  sand-papered !  There  are 
scores  of  us,"  he  added,  "  who  never  dream  of  taking- 
more  than  one  wife." 


THE    CITY   OF   THE   SAINTS.  99 

"  Then  polygamy  is  not  imposed  on  you  as  a  part 
of  your  religion  ?  "  I  inquire. 

"  Certainly  not ;  but  it  is  our  right  if  we  choose  to 
adopt  it.  It  is  different  now  from  the  early  days, 
when  it  was  necessary,  for  our  good  God's  sake,  that 
his  people  of  Zioii  should  increase  and  multiply,  so  as 
to  fill  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  I  felt  disposed  to 
suggest  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  might  perhaps  be 
able  to  get  along  without  the  aid  of  Brigham  Young's 
progeny,  but  as  that  observation  might  appear  ir- 
reverent I  withheld  it,  and  he  continued :  "  For  my 
part  I've  found  that  one  wife  is  quite  as  much  as  I  can 
manage.  I've  never  felt  inclined  to  increase  my  family 
that  way,  and  I  don't  believe  there  is  a  happier  man  in 
all  Salt  Lake  than  I  am." 

We  reach  the  City  of  the  Saints  at  last,  and  find  it 
as  fair  and  beautiful  as  we  had  expected.    It  is  in  truth 
an  oasis  in  a  desert,  a  blooming  garden  in  a  wilderness 
of  green.     We  can  scarcely  conceive  how  this  flowery 
world  has  lifted  itself  from  the  heart  of  desolation ;  it 
is  only  one  more  proof  that  the  intellect  and  industry 
of  man  can  master  the  mysteries  of  nature,  and  force 
her  in  her  most  harsh  uncompromising  moods  to  bring 
forth   fair    fruits.      It    lies    in    a    deep   wide   valley, 
bounded   on   the   east   by  the   mighty  range   of   the 
Wahsatch    Mountains,   which    lift    their    lonely   ice- 
crowned  heads  far  into  the  skies,  their  rugged  stony 
feet  stretching  away  and  reaching  towards  the  west, 
where  the  great  Salt  Lake  unrolls  its  dark  waters,  and 
widens  and  wanders  away  until  it  is  lost  in  the  dis- 
tance.    The  streets  are  wide,  the  houses  of  all  sorts 
and  sizes,  some  one  storey  high,  some  two  or  even  three, 
all  built  in  different  styles,  or  no  style  of  architecture ; 


100  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

each  man  having  built  his  dwelling  in  accordance  with 
his  own  taste  or  convenience.  The  streets  are  all 
arranged  in  long  straight  rows,  and  stretch  away  till 
they  seem  to  crawl  up  the  mountain-sides  and  then  are 
lost.  On  either  side  of  the  roadways  are  magnificent 
forest-trees,  which  in  summer-time  must  form  a  most 
delightful  shade,  though  now  it  is  autumn  and  the 
leaves  are  falling  fast.  Streams  of  water  with  their 
pleasant  gurgling  music  flow  on  either  side,  through  a 
deep  cutting  (which  we  should  irreverently  call  the 
gutter),  rushing  along  as  though  they  were  in  a  hurry 
to  reach  some  everlasting  sea.  The  women  come  out 
with  their  buckets  and  help  themselves,  while  the 
children  sail  their  toy  boats,  clapping  their  hands  glee- 
fully as  the  tiny  craft  is  tossed,  and  tumbled,  and  borne 
along  on  the  face  of  the  bubbling  water.  Street-cars 
come  crawling  along  the  straight  streets,  crossing  and 
recrossing  each  other  at  different  points ;  but  a  private 
cab  or  carriage  is  rarely  to  be  seen.  Every  house,  be 
it  only  composed  of  a  single  room,  is  surrounded  by 
a  plot  of  garden  ground,  where  fruits,  flowers,  and 
vegetables  all  grow  together  in  loving  companionship* 
Everything  seems  flourishing,  and  everybody  seems 
well-to-do ;  there  are  no  signs  of  poverty  anywhere ; 
no  bare- footed  whining  beggars  fill  the  streets ;  tramps 
there  may  be,  passing  from  one  part  of  the  State  to 
another,  but  these  are  all  decently  dressed  and  well  fed, 
for  at  whatever  door  they  knock  they  are  sure  to  find 
food  and  shelter,  charity  to  those  in  need  being  a  part 
of  the  reigning  religion. 

The  children  who  swarm  on  all  sides  are  the 
healthiest,  rosiest,  happiest  looking  urchins  conceiv- 
able ;  some  perfectly  beautiful  specimens  of  young 


THE   CITY   OF   THE    SAINTS.  101 

wmanity.  One  felt  sorry  to  think  they  must  develop 
into  the  bewhiskered  man  or  befrizzled  woman ;  there 
was  not  a  pale  or  sickly  face  in  all  the  multitude. 
There  are  no  signs  of  rank  or  fashion  anywhere ;  there 
are  no  drones  lounging  about  in  this  community,  they 
are  all  busy  bees ;  every  man  and  every  woman,  too, 
does  his  or  her  share  in  the  labour  market,  all  accord- 
ing to  their  special  abilities  ;  and  here  is  the  only  true 
republic  in  all  America,  elsewhere  it  is  the  name  and 
not  the  thing.  Here  republicanism  exists  in  its  genuine 
form ;  it  is  not  a  commune,  and  encourages  no  com- 
munistic principles.  Here  every  one  must  work, 
uniting  therein  for  the  common  good  of  all.  Wealth, 
represented  by  gold  or  other  possessions,  is  unequally 
distributed  as  in  other  large  cities.  Some  live  in 
large  houses,  some  in  small,  some  wear  broadcloth, 
some  wear  frieze ;  but  the  man  who  labours  with  his 
hands  and  the  man  who  works  with  his  brain,  those 
who  plan  and  those  who  execute,  live  together  in  a 
common  brotherhood — for  they  are  equally  well  edu- 
cated, and  have  grown  up  in  or  helped  to  make  the 
world  they  live  in.  The  idle  or  the  dissolute  are 
speedily  hunted  out  of  the  community.  There  is  an 
equality  in  tone  and  manner  among  all  conditions  of 
people  which  strikes  rather  discordantly  upon  our 
ideas  of  the  harmony  of  things,  but  we  soon  get 
used  to  it.  We  meet  with  a  general  pleasant  courtesy, 
which  is  never  vulgar,  never  over-free ;  there  is  a 
sense  of  equality,  a  sort  of  "  one  man  as  good  as 
another,"  which  is  always  felt  though  never  obtrusively 
asserted.  The  woman  who  washes  your  linen,  and 
the  man  who  wheels  your  baggage,  do  it  with  a 
sort  of  courteous  friendliness,  considering  that  you 


102  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

are  as  much  obliged  to  them  as  they  to  you ;  no 
kind  of  manual  labour  is  looked  upon  as  discreditable 
or  below  the  dignity  of  any  man.  I  have  seen  a 
Mormon  bishop,  in  his  shirt  sleeves  and  corduroys, 
working  hard  in  a  timber-yard  or  carpentering  at  a 
bench.  Schools  and  churches  of  all  denominations  and 
creeds  abound ;  every  child  has  a  right  to  an  equal 
education  at  the  expense  of  the  State  of  Utah.  The 
Mormon  city  is  now  by  no  means  held  sacred  to  the 
Mormons,  for  people  of  all  nations  come  flocking 
thither,  erecting  their  own  places  of  worship,  and 
following  their  own  faith.  A  plot  of  land  has  been 
lately  set  apart  for  a  Jewish  synagogue ;  but  woe  upon 
any  one  of  them  who  shall  attempt  to  interfere  or  win 
a  single  proselyte  from  the  Mormon  fold.  While  liberal 
(with  a  forced  liberality,  perhaps)  towards  other 
religions,  they  are  devoted  to  their  own ;  and  in  all 
social  and  domestic  matters,  they  keep  as  much  apart 
from  the  opposing  forces  as  though  they  lived  in 
different  kingdoms.  In  all  business  relations  they  mix 
freely  enough  and  have  extensive  trading  transactions 
with  all  nations,  and  carry  on  their  operations  with  a 
shrewdness  and  tact  which  is  popularly  supposed  to  be 
the  reigning  characteristic  of  the  "  Jewish  persuasion." 
There  is  no  exclusion  where  the  "  almighty  dollar  "  is 
concerned.  They  allow  no  chance  of  money-making 
to  flow  past  them.  Signs  of  prosperity  and  plenty  are 
everywhere;  to  the  mere  passer-by  or  transient  tra- 
veller, who  can  judge  from  outward  appearances  only, 
the  State  of  Utah  is  the  most  flourishing  in  the  Union. 
With  its  mines,  its  metals,  its  marvellous  agricultural 
productions,  its  wealth  of  fruits  and  flowers,  it  seems 
as  though  the  horn  of  plenty  emptied  itself  in  the  lap 


THE   CITY   OF   THE   SAIXTS,  103 

of  this  favoured  land.  Out  of  doors  in  the  streets  the 
brisk,  bustling  population  are  crowding  to  and  fro,  all 
is  gay  and  bright ;  the  sun  shines,  the  genial  air  stirs 
and  invigorates  the  spirit,  the  pulse  beats  to  healthful 
music,  while  the  surrounding  scene  of  swelling  hills 
and  glorious  mountains  is  beautiful  to  behold.  It  is 
only  on  the  threshold  of  home  that  the  shadow  falls ; 
indeed,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  home,  regarding  it 
from  our  point  of  view,  as  the  centre  of  domestic 
happiness,  of  affectionate  intercourse,  and  mutual  con- 
fidence ;  it  simply  does  not  and  cannot  exist.  When 
the  interests  and  the  affections  are  subdivided  into  so 
many  different  channels,  they  flow  in  a  weak,  sluggish 
spirit  through  all.  I  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  get 
an  insight  into  the  inner  lives  of  the  Mormon  women, 
and  have  seen  the  skeleton  grinning  on  their  hearth- 
stones. They  are  well  cared  for  so  far  as  creature 
comforts  are  concerned.  The  wives  of  the  wealthier 
classes  have  handsome,  well-furnished  houses,  and 
devote  themselves  to  the  care  and  education  of  their 
children ;  but  there  is  a  gloom  and  emptiness  at  their 
firesides,  a  vacant  place,  which  is  filled  only  with  a 
mockery,  an  unreal  shadow.  He  who  is  the  head  of 
one  household  to-day  hangs  up  his  hat  in  another  home 
to-morrow.  The  ladies  of  refined,  cultivated  minds, 
and  there  are  many  of  them,  have  a  patient- waiting- 
look  upon  their  faces  painful  to  behold ;  it  seems  as 
though  the  cross  they  carry  is  sometimes  heavier  than 
they  can  bear,  and  they  long  to  lay  it  down  and  be  at 
rest.  My  remarks  do  not  apply  indiscriminately  to  all, 
for  there  are  many  wives  who  are  perfectly  happy  in 
the  polygamic  state ;  women  to  whom  the  children  are 
more  than  the  husband,  whose  maternal  instincts  are 


104  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

much  stronger  than  their  conjugal  affections.  This 
type  of  womanhood  is  not  specially  restricted  to  Mor- 
monland;  but  to  women  of  a  more  delicate  spiritual 
organization,  who  feel  the  necessity  of  loving  and 
being  loved  in  the  divinest,  purest  sense,  this  life  of 
divided  affections  is  torture.  They  live  a  life  of  daily 
crucifixion  of  spirit.  They  suffer  doubly,  as  they  are 
imbued  with  a  strong  sense  of  religion  and  believe 
that  polygamy  is  right ;  indeed,  one  of  God's  holy 
ordinances.  They  are  constantly  engaged  in  a  spiritual 
warfare,  struggling  with  and  against  themselves.  The 
voice  of  nature  rebelling  against  her  enforced  bondage 
is  regarded  as  the  voice  of  the  evil  one,  to  be  stilled 
only  by  prayers  and  self-mortification.  The  Mormon 
ladies  are  not  the  light-minded,  sensuous  race  they  are 
popularly  supposed  to  be ;  on  the  contrary,  they  are 
grave,  earnest  women,  strong  in  the  faith  they  have 
been  brought  up  in ;  their  minds  are  completely  under 
the  control  of  their  bishops  and  elders,  whose  words 
are  to  them  as  the  written  law  of  the  Lord.  It  is 
impossible  for  any  legislation  from  the  outer  world  to 
remedy  this  evil ;  it  lies  in  the  spirit  of  the  people 
beyond  the  reach  of  human  hands.  It  is  easy  enough 
to  strike  the  chains  from  the  body,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  free  the  mind  from  the  bondage  of  a  superstitious 
faith.  Polygamy  is  an  ulcer  at  the  root  of  their 
religion ;  it  may  be  dispersed  by  time  and  careful 
treatment,  but  can  never  be  torn  out. 

The  greater  number  of  the  present  generation  of 
Mormon  women  were  born  there,  or  from  their  infancy 
have  drank  in  with  their  mothers'  milk  the  teaching  of 
their  elders,  until  it  has  grown  into  the  essence  of  their 
lives ;  how  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  Until  late  years 


THE   CITY   OF   THE   SAINTS.  105 

there  had  been  no  communication  between  Salt  Lake 
City  and  the  outer  world.  They  knew  nothing  but 
what  they  were  taught  by  those  whose  interest  it  was 
to  keep  them  in  a  state  of  spiritual  bondage.  Their 
parents,  in  a  frenzy  of  religious  fervour,  had  traversed 
the  wilderness,  struggled  through  famine,  and  fire,  and 
sword,  had  gone  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death  in  search  of  this  modern  Zion,  shut  in  by  inac- 
cessible mountains ;  their  children  were  bred  and  born 
in  a  whirl  of  enthusiasm,  and  naturally  inherited  the 
spirit  as  well  as  the  life  of  their  parents.  So  much  for 
the  present  generation  of  matrons  ;  but  they  are  passing 
away,  and  things  are  looking  brighter  for  the  rising 
population,  since  the  railway  has  brought  civilization 
with  its  train  of  worldly  vanities  into  their  midst,  and 
the  voice  of  their  sister  women  has  reached  their  ears, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  Gentiles  who  swarm  around 
them,  and  whose  very  presence  must  have  a  subtle 
influence  over  them.  A  change  has  come  over  the 
irreverent  spirit  of  youth.  The  girls  are  rather  shy 
of  entering  into  polygamous  marriages;  they  have 
seen  enough,  and  seem  to  have  no  desire  to  enact  their 
mothers'  lives  over  again.  Their  suitors  sigh  in  vain. 
The  Mormon  girls,  as  a  rule,  are  very  beautiful,  with 
fine  eyes,  and  soft,  rich  complexions  like  a  peach- 
blossom,  and  seem  disposed  to  join  the  general  march 
onwards.  In  one  of  our  saunters  through  the  city  we 
met  two  bright,  blooming  young  girls,  about  seven- 
teen, two  of  the  many  granddaughters  of  Brigham 
Young,  gay,  happy-looking  creatures.  It  would  be 
terrible  to  think  they  would  ever  sink  into  the  faded, 
woe- worn  Mormon  wife. 

I  admired  their  city,  and  inquired  if  they  would  be 
content  to  live  always  at  Salt  Lake  ? 


106  THROUGH   CITIES   AXD   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

'  "Oh  dear,  no !  "  said  the  youngest  and  prettiest. 
"  I  want  to  go  to  Paris  to  study  music ;  then,  if  I  like, 
I  can  come  back  here  and  teach,  you  know,"  she 
added  with  a  roguish  laugh. 

"And  I  should  like  to  go  to  Europe  to  study 
medicine.  I  shall  never  rest  here,"  said  her  cousin ; 
"  and  I  think  I  am  going  next  spring." 

This  is  a  tolerable  sample  of  the  spirit  which  now 
animates  the  young  people.     The  Church  has  to  send 
its  elders  across  the  sea  in  search  of  recruits  for  the 
matrimonial  market,  and   they  rarely   fail   to   return 
with   a    good   supply   as    regards    quantity ;    for   the 
quality  I  would  not  vouch.     During  our  stay  at  Salt 
Lake  some,  half-dozen  elders  returned  from  one  of  these 
foraging  expeditions,  and  brought  back   a  few  score 
of  emigrants,  both  men  and  women,  some  with  large 
families,  but  all  of  a  most  unpromising  appearance.     It 
seemed  as  though  they  had  raked  the  social  gutter, 
and  brought  thither  the  scum  of  all  nations  ;    for  a 
more  stolid,  stupid-looking  set  of  people  I  never  saw. 
Well,  insomuch  as  they  rescue  these  poor  creatures  from 
stifling   courts   and   alleys,    the    regions   of    poverty, 
ignorance,  and  dirt,  where  they  have  scarcely  air  to 
breathe  or  food  to  eat,  they  are  doing  a  good  work. 
Immediately  on  their  arrival  at  Salt  Lake  these  people 
are  sent  off  to  the  agricultural  districts,  where  so  many 
acres  of  fertile  land  is  awarded  to  each  family,  together 
with  wood  and  all  necessary  materials  for  running  up 
a  house,  and  they  commence  to  farm  on  a  small  scale, 
raising  stock  or  grain  as  may  be  most  expedient.     If  a 
man  be  intelligent  and  industrious  he  may  speedily 
become  a  thriving  farmer  and  landowner  in  one  of  the 
most   beautiful  valleys  in  the  world.     So  far,  if  the 


THE   CITY   OP   THE   SAINTS.  107 

Mormons  let  them  alone,  all  would  be  well,  but  they 
don't ;  they  teach  them  their  religion,  and  the  men  are 
apt  scholars.  The  seeds  of  polygamy  once  sown  in  the 
agricultural  mind,  it  grows  and  flourishes  like  the  rank 
weeds  among  their  golden  grain,  and  it  is  universally 
adopted.  If  a  man  wants  a  dairymaid,  a  cook,  or  even 
a  scarecrow — he  marries  one.  A  large  amount  of  field 
labour  is  done  by  women,  and  they,  in  most  cases,  are 
the  wives  of  their  employers.  Polygamy  seems  to  work 
well  enough  in  the  rural  districts  ;  quite  different  from 
its  manifestations  in  the  large  cities,  where  the  women 
have  more  time  to  brood  and  to  feel ;  besides,  the  people 
are  of  a  different  calibre,  and  are  drawn  from  a  lower 
rank  in  life.  I  once  drank  tea  at  a  farmhouse,  far 
removed  from  the  noisy  city ;  there  were  four  or  five 
of  the  farmer's  wives,  all  busily  engaged  in  their  several 
duties ;  one  was  looking  after  the  washing  and  ironing, 
another  was  making  up  and  packing  butter  and  eggs 
for  market,  others  were  passing  to  and  fro,  while  the 
children  swarmed  like  bees  on  all  sides  of  us,  their 
chattering  voices  and  merry  laughter  making  the  only 
music  that  is  ever  heard  in  that  solitary  homestead. 
The  farmer  took  us  round  the  farmyard  to  show  us  his 
pigs,  poultry,  and  cattle ;  we  seized  an  opportunity  to 
remark  upon  his  feminine  household,  and  expressed  a 
wonder  that  so  many  wives  managed  to  get  along 
without  jarring. 

"They've  got  too  much  work  to  do  to  think  of 
quarrelling  ;  besides,  they're  all  in  one  boat,  you  know 
—no  one  has  got  a  pull  over  the  other  ;  and  so  long  as 
folks  don't  come  spying  around,  putting  rubbish  into 
their  heads,  they  will  be  content  to  live — for  the  glory 
of  God." 


108  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS, 


CHAPTER  XL 

AMONG  THE   MORMONS. 

Society— A  Mormon  Wife's  View— The  Shops — Amelia  Palace-— 
The  Tabernacle — The  Organ — Endowment  House — A  Mor- 
mon Widow — Currency  in  the  Old  Days — The  Elders  Hold 
Forth. 

DURING  our  stay  in  Salt  Lake  City  we  found  the 
Mormons  most  friendly  and  genial  in  their  disposition 
towards  us  ;  but  they  do  not  like  to  talk  of  their 
religion ;  to  the  ladies  especially  the  subject  is  dis- 
tasteful ;  neither  do  they  care  to  receive  into  their 
houses  visitors  from  the  Gentile  world.  They  have 
been  so  vexed  and  annoyed  by  the  indiscreet  questions 
of  curious  tourists  that  they  are  disposed  to  shut  their 
doors  upon  the  whole  race.  Through  the  influence  of 
some  friends  in  England  I  made  the  acquaintance  of 
a  Mormon  wife,  who  admitted  me  within  her  family 
circle,  where  I  received  advantages  which  are  accorded 
to  few  strangers.  She  has  travelled  a  great  deal  in 
Europe,  but  is  now  permanently  settled  in  a  beautiful 
house  in  the  centre  of  the  city ;  her  mind  has  been 
enlarged  and  enlightened  during  her  sojourn  abroad, 
and,  though  still  a  good  Mormon,  she  has  withdrawn 
from  polygamy  and  left  her  husband  in  the  full  posses- 
sion of  three  other  wives  ;  perhaps  they  suffice  to 


AMOXG   THE   MORMONS.  100 

absorb  his  conjugal  affections.  At  her  house  I  met 
some  pleasant  Mormon  families.  Gentlemen  do  not 
escort  a  battalion  of  wives  to  these  social  gatherings, 
but  each  accompanies  the  particular  wife  to  whom  he 
is  for  the  time  devoted.  No  favour  must  be  shown ; 
his  affections  must  be  weighed  to  a  fraction,  and 
divided  equally  between  the  several  claimants  thereto. 
The  ladies  were  refined  and  pleasant  enough ;  I  cannot 
say  much  for  the  gentlemen.  The  Mormon  men  are 
genial  and  good-natured,  but  as  a  rule  are  coarse 
and  sensual-looking,  full  of  the  physical  strength  and 
energies  of  healthy  life ;  one  cannot  imagine  a  bad 
digestion  or  ill-regulated  liver  among  them. 

Everybody  asked  us  "how  we  liked  Salt  Lake." 
That  question  being  satisfactorily  answered  at  least 
fifty  times  in  the  course  of  an  hour,  we  talked  and 
chatted  in  much  the  same  fashion  as  the  rest  of  the 
world  would  have  done  under  similar  circumstances. 
Knowing  that  the  typical  state  of  society  here  was 
utterly  different  to  that  in  any  other  part  of  the  world, 
we  were  in  a  vague  state  of  expectation  and  excite- 
ment, and  watched  for  some  indication  of  it  to  come 
to  the  surface ;  we  watched  in  vain.  It  was  the  same 
here  as  elsewhere.  In  general  society  all  the  world 
over,  there  is  a  frothy  bubble  of  conversation  carried 
on ;  little  is  said  that  is  worth  repeating,  indeed  that  is 
worth  saying.  I  received  a  good  deal  of  local  informa- 
tion, and  was  both  amused  and  interested  in  the  gossip 
that  gradually  grew  into  circulation.  Late  in  the 
evening,  while  chatting  more  confidentially  to  a  coterie 
of  ladies,  I  tried  to  seize  the  helm,  and  without  any 
actual  breach  of  good  breeding  to  steer  the  conversa- 
tion towards  matrimonial  matters,  but  on  that  subject 


110  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

they  were  scrupulously  silent.  They  were  delighted 
to  talk  of  their  children ;  some,  and  they  were  young- 
looking  matrons  too,  told  me  they  had  "  fourteen 
blessings  ; "  others  who  had  not  had  time  to  produce 
such  a  growth  of  humanity  seemed,  however,  to  be 
doing  their  best  to  increase  the  population  as  fast  as 
they  could. 

A  woman  is  appreciated  and  respected  according  to 
the  number  of  her  children  ;  those  who  have  no  family 
•are  merely  tolerated  or  set  aside  as  "no  account."  As 
a  rule  the  childless  wives  live  together  under  one  roof, 
while  those  "  more  highly  favoured  of  the  Lord  "  have 
separate  houses,  and  are  more  honourably  regarded. 

I  visited  one  lady,  the  wife  of  a  wealthy  merchant, 
an  English  gentleman,  who  had  outraged  his  family 
connections  and  nailed  his  colours  to  the  Mormon 
mast,  though  he  had  at  no  time  indulged  in  the  luxury 
of  more  than  two  wives,  and  at  present  has  only  one. 
Their  residence  is  extremely  beautiful ;  it  is  built  in 
the  fashion  of  an  old-fashioned  country  house,  with 
gabled  roof  and  pointed  windows,  and  stands  in  a  large 
garden,  beautifully  laid  out  with  rare  shrubs  and 
luxuriant  flowers,  a  lovely  home;  the  mistress  thereof 
is  a  stately,  noble-looking  woman,  with  a  grave  earnest 
face,  and  eyes  that  seemed  to  be  looking  far  away  from 
this  world  into  the  next.  There  were  two  or  three 
young  children  playing  with  their  toys  on  the  hearth- 
rug; some  others  were  playing  hide  and  seek,  "whoop- 
ing ''  in  the  garden.  It  seemed  to  me  that  a  whole 
school  had  been  let  loose  to  enjoy  a  holiday* 

"  Sure,"  I  exclaimed,  "  these  children  cannot  all 
be  yours  ? " 

"  They  are,  and  they  are  not,"  she  answered.     "  I 


AMOXG   THE   MORMOXS.  Ill 

have  fourteen  children ;  some  are  still  in  the  nursery, 
some  are  out  in  the  world.  Those,"  she  added,  indi- 
cating a  pair  of  toddlers  on  the  hearthrug,  "  belong  to 
my  sister  wife,  who  died  about  a  year  ago ;  but  they 
are  the  same  as  mine ;  they  know  no  difference.  Our 
children  were  all  born  under  one  roof,  and  we  have 
mothered  them  in  turn." 

"  This  must  be  an  unusual  state  of  affairs,"  I  ven- 
tured to  remark,  "  even  in  Salt  Lake.  I  should  hardly 
have  thought  it  possible  that  two  ladies  could  have 
lived  happily  together  under  such  circumstances." 

"  Nevertheless  it  is  true,"  she  answered. 

"  But  do  you  mean  to  say,"  I  urged,  "  that  you 
never  feel  any  petty  jealousies  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  say  that,"  she  said  somewhat  sharply. 
"  We  are  none  of  us  perfect,  and  are  all  liable  to  the 
evil  influence  of  earthly  passions  ;  but  when  we  feel 
weak  and  failing  we  pray  to  God  to  help  us,  and  He 
does." 

"  You  are  a  strange  people,"  I  could  not  help  ob- 
serving. "  In  no  other  place  in  the  world  could  such 
a  state  of  things  exist." 

"  Because  nowhere  else  would  you  have  the  same 
faith  to  support  you." 

"  But  would  you  desire  your  daughters  to  enter 
into  a  polygamous  marriage  ?  "  I  persisted* 

"If  I  could  choose,"  she  answered  gravely*  " they 
should  each  be  the  one  wife  to  a  good  husband ;  but 
that  must  be  as  God  pleases.  Whatever  their  destiny 
may  be  their  religion  will  help  them  to  bear  it.'* 

Evidently  desiring  to  end  the  conversation,  she 
invited  us  into  the  garden,  showed  us  her  greenhouse, 
and  gathered  us  some  flowers,  and  we  took  our  leave, 
having  spent  a  delightful  afternoon. 


112  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  have  been  more  inquisitorial  than 
good  breeding  sanctions,"  I  said  apologetically ;  "  but 
how  can  I  gain  any  information  unless  I  ask  for  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  have  seen  you,"  she  replied, 
with  a  cordial  hand-shake,  "  though  as  a  rule  I  do  not 
care  to  receive  strangers — so  many  come  with  no 
introductions  and  intrude  upon  our  privacy,  and  ask 
us  questions,  and  then  circulate  false  reports  about  us. 
They  seem  to  regard  us  as  zoological  curiosities  ;  quite 
forgetting  that  our  homes  are  as  sacred  to  us  as  theirs 
are  to  them.  We  used  to  be  very  hospitable,"  she 
added,  "  but  now  we  receive  no  one  unless  they  are 
introduced  to  us  as  you  have  been." 

The  Mormons  are  very  fond  of  theatricals  and  great 
patrons  of  the  drama.  A  good  company  there  is  sure 
to  draw  a  good  audience.  The  patriarchal  days,  when 
Brigham's  large  family  formed  the  greater  part  of 
audience  and  actors  too,  are  past ;  they  have  a  commo- 
dious theatre,  so  far  as  size  is  concerned,  but  it  is  a 
square  brick  barnlike  building  to  look  at.  The  busi- 
ness streets  are  lined  with  shops,  which  are  amply 
stocked  with  all  necessary  and  some  superfluous 
articles,  but  the  windows  are  not  what  we  call 
"  dressed "  to  attract  the  passer-by,  but  are  exhibited 
in  a  higgledy-piggledy  sort  of  fashion  ;  the  owners 
sit  behind  their  counters  or  lounge  in  the  doorways 
reading  the  news,  and  think  nothing  of  keeping  you 
waiting  while  they  finish  reading  a  paragraph,  and 
seem  supremely  indifferent  whether  you  buy  or  not. 
A  spirit  of  piety  inspires  their  business  transactions,  a 
godly  text  being  placed  over  the  doorway,  and  some- 
times being  woven  into  the  mat  at  your  feet.  They 
have  a  large  co-operative  store  in  the  main  street,  with 


AMONG    THE    MORMONS.  113 

an  inscription  in  large  gold  letters  running  along  the 
top  :  "  Holiness  to  the  Lord."  There  is  very  little  in 
the  city  that  is  architecturally  worth  looking  at,  with 
the  exception,  perhaps,  of  the  Amelia  Palace,  which  is 
a  large  and  very  elegant  mansion,  built  in  the  modern 
villa  style,  with  a  great  deal  of  ornamentation.  It  is 
reported  that  Brigham  Young  erected  and  presented 
this  beautiful  residence  to  his  youngest  and  prettiest 
wife,  favouring  her  so  much  above  the  rest ;  but  this 
is  indignantly  denied  by  the  Saints  generally. 

"  Brigham  "  (whose  name  is  held  in  great  reverence 
among  them)  "  had  no  favourite,"  they  say.  "  The 
Amelia  Palace,  so  called  because  she  once  stayed  in  it 
for  a  few  days,  was  built  expressly  for  the  reception 
and  entertainment  of  strangers  and  visitors  of  distinc- 
tion, and  for  no  other  purpose."  Unfortunately  its 
promoter  died  a  short  time  after  its  completion,  and 
it  seems  to  be  a  bone  of  contention  among  the  Mor- 
mons, and  looks  as  lonely  and  deserted  as  though  it 
had  been  thrown  into  chancery.  They  are  also 
building  a  new  tabernacle  for  winter  use,  which  has 
been  some  years  in  the  course  of  erection,  but  will 
be  finished  now  within  a  few  months.  It  is  built  of 
white  granite  hewn  from  quarries  in  the  State  of  Utah, 
and  is  being  constructed  in  a  highly  ornamental  and 
imposing  style ;  it  is  to  be  used  for  all  general  services 
during  the  cold  weather,  owing  to  the  great  difficulty 
of  warming  the  larger  tabernacle,  which  stands  a  few 
hundred  feet  off.  This  far-famed  structure  strikes  one 
as  a  huge  monstrosity,  a  tumour  of  bricks  and  mortar 
rising  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  is  a  perfectly  plain 
egg-shaped  building,  studded  with  heavy  entrance 
doors  all  around  ;  there  is  not  the  slightest  attempt  at 


114  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

ornamentation  of  any  kind  ;  it  is  a  mass  of  ugliness ; 
the  inside  is  vast,  dreary,  and  strikes  one  with  a  chill, 
as  though  entering  a  vault;  it  is  250  feet  long  and  80 
feet  high  ;  its  acoustic  properties  are  wonderful — the 
voice  of  him  who  occupies  the  rostrum  can  be  dis- 
tinctly heard  in  the  remotest  corner  of  the  building. 
If  you  whisper  at  one  end  your  words  are  repeated 
aloud  at  the  other,  without  being  caught  up  and 
hunted  through  every  crevice  by  ghostly  mocking 
echoes.  A  gallery  runs  all  around,  supported  by  rows 
of  thin,  helpless-looking  pillars.  The  seats  in  the  body 
of  the  building  are  raised  on  sloping  ground,  like  the 
pit  of  a  theatre, — a  wide  expanse  of  empty  benches, 
dreary  and  depressing  to  the  wandering  eye,  which 
finds  no  pleasant  spot  to  dwell  upon.  In  the  centre 
stands  a  fountain  with  four  plaster-of-Paris  lions 
couchant,  poor,  mangy-looking  beasts  at  best.  From 
the  white  plastered  ceiling  or  dome,  being  concave 
perhaps  it  may  be  called  so,  hangs  a  gigantic  star, 
hung  round  with  artificial  flowers  and  evergreen  pen- 
dants, something  like  a  monstrous  jack-in-the-green 
turned  upside  down.  The  whole  interior  is  gloomy 
and  dark ;  I  doubt  if  people  could  ever  see  to  read 
their  prayers.  At  one  end  of  this  huge  barnlike 
building  hangs  an  immense  blue  banner  emblazoned 
with  a  golden  beehive,  which  flaunts  over  the  heads  of 
the  faithful.  At  the  other  end  stands  an  organ,  the 
largest  in  the  world  they  say,  and  it  may  be  so,  for  it 
is  certainly  immense.  They  are  justly  proud  of  it,  for 
it  is  of  home  manufacture  entirely,  and  was  built  pre- 
cisely where  it  stands,  under  the  supervision  of  an 
English  convert  named  Ridges,  and  contains  upwards 
of  a  thousand  pipes,  some  of  such  a  circumference  you 


AMONG   THE    MORMONS.  115 

feel  as  though  you  could  wander  up  and  down  them, 

and  be  lost  in  a  world  of  music.     Notwithstanding  its 

immense  size,  it  has   not  a  single  harsh  or  metallic 

sound  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  marvellously  soft-ton,ed  ; 

from  the  low  flutelike  wailing  voice  of  the  vox  humana 

to  the  deep  bass  roll  which  stirs  the  air  like  a  wave  of 

melodious  thunder,  it  has  all  the  delicacy  of  the  ^Eolian 

harp,  with   the   strength  and  power  of  its  thousand 

brazen  voices.     The  case  is  of  polished  pine  of  elegant 

and  simple  design.     All  the  wood,  metal,  and  other 

material  used  was  brought  from  the  forests  or  mines  of 

Utah.      Sloping  down   from   the   organ   towards   the 

auditorium  are  semicircular  rows  of  seats,  for  the  elders 

and  dignitaries  of  the  Church.     In  the  centre  is  a  desk 

with  a  shabby  blue  sofa  behind  it ;  this  was  used  by 

Brigham  Young  and  his  two  chief  councillors.     Below 

this  are  the  seats  for  the  twelve  apostles  and  for  the 

choir,  and  benches  where  the  elders  may  congregate 

to  consult  together.      In  front  of  all  this  combination 

stands  a  long  narrow  table,  an  altar  perhaps  it  may  be 

called,  covered  with  a  red  cloth,  whereon  is  arranged  a 

gorgeous  array  of  silver  cups,  of  all  shapes  and  sizes, 

as  though  prepared  for  an  unlimited  christening  party 

or  an   everlasting   service   libation   to   some   heathen 

deity  rather  than  to  a  Christian  God.      Passing  out 

from   the   tabernacle  we   glanced   at  the  Endowment 

House,  where  many  of  their  religious  ceremonies  are 

performed,  and  where,  if  rumour  speaks  truly,  gross 

licentiousness  is  carried  on  under  the  sanction  of  the 

Church — where  some   ugly  secrets  and   mysteries   lie 

hidden,  of  which  no  one  can  speak  and  live.     Across 

the    road    stands    the    president's    office,    and    next 

to   that   the   "  Beehive    House "   of  Brigham    Young 


116  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

notoriety.  It  is  a  long,  low-roofed,  adobe  building, 
railed  in,  a  desolate-looking  place  where,  in  old  days, 
some  dozen  of  his  wives  were  domiciled ;  it  is  now 
occupied  by  his  widows — some  of  them.  A  high 
stone  wall  filled  in  with  adobe  incloses  the  president's 
residence  and  many  other  buildings,  with  arched  gate- 
ways and  heavy  wooden  gates  ;  there  is  a  double  arch- 
way leading  to  some  factories  and  stables,  surmounted 
by  a  beehive  in  the  grip  of  a  monstrous  eagle — an 
illustration  of  the  Mormon  faith  in  the  cruel  clutch  of 
the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Close  by  is  the  school-house, 
first  erected  for  the  sole  education  of  Brigham  Young's 
family,  which  was  large  enough  to  fill  it ;  it  is  now 
devoted  to  the  benefit  of  the  masses.  The  whole  of 
these  buildings  are  crowded  together,  and  are  generally 
surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  which  gives  them  a  gloomy 
appearance,  suggestive  of  an  Eastern  harem.  There 
is,  however,  a  wide  difference  between  the  Moham- 
medan and  the  Mormon — the  two  polygamic  nations. 
Whereas  the  former  keep  their  women  in  a  state  of 
slavery,  idleness,  and  ignorance,  the  Mormons  give 
their  women  every  possible  advantage  of  education, 
and  permit,  nay  encourage,  them  to  take  their  part  in 
the  world's  work  and  in  the  management  of  affairs 
generally. 

The  Mormon  marriage- vow  reads  "  for  time  and 
eternity !  "  There  are,  however,  forms  of  matrimony 
"  for  time "  and  "  for  eternity "  alone,  and  the  one 
may  be  contracted  independently  of  the  other.  Thus, 
a  man  may,  and  frequently  does,  marry  a  widow  "  for 
time,"  under  the  obligation  to  hand  her  back  to  her 
deceased  lord  "  for  eternity."  A  woman  may,  by 
gracious  permission  of  the  head  of  the  Church,  seal 


AMONG   THE    MORMONS.  117 

herself  in  "  celestial  marriage  "  to  any  deceased  saint 
she  may  elect  to  honour  with  her  preference.  Also, 
a  marriage  may  be  arranged  by  the  living  for  the 
dead.  I  heard  of  a  case  wherein  a  widow,  anxious 
lest  her  lord  should  feel  lonely  in  the  celestial  spheres, 
shortly  after  her  bereavement  hastened  to  the  Endow- 
ment House  to  seal  to  the  beloved  lost,  not  one,  but 
two  dear  friends  of  hers.  I  inquired  whether  the  two 
brides  would  not  consider  it  a  wasteful  proceeding  to 
bestow  themselves  on  the  dead  ?  "  Oh  no,"  answered 
my  informant  gravely,  "  of  course  they  were  dead  too." 

This  presented  rather  a  ludicrous  picture  to  my 
mind's  eye ;  there  is  evidently  no  escape  for  the 
Mormon  from  the  evils  of  this  world,  even  though  he 
flies  into  the  next,  where  good  Christians  hope  to  find 
peace.  I  imagined  the  seraph's  surprise,  perhaps  dis- 
may, at  finding  two  cherubs  in  full  chase  accredited 
claimants  to  his  eternal  affections,  whether  he  would 
or  not. 

We  paid  a  visit  to  President  Taylor  at  his  office, 
with  an  arriere  pensee  that  he  might  present  us  to  his 
wives,  but  he  did  not.  He  received  us  most  cour- 
teously, and  we  spent  a  pleasant  half-hour  in  the  ex- 
change of  polite  nothings ;  he  pointed  out  to  us  the 
portraits  of  the  brothers  Smith,  the  founders  of  their 
faith,  which  hung  upon  the  walls,  but  when  we  tried 
to  bring  about  a  discussion  upon  the  Mormon  faith,  or 
the  working  of  that  faith  upon  the  Mormon  people,  we 
ignominiously  failed.  He  is  a  remarkably  fine-looking 
man,  about  seventy,  with  a  rather  large  loose  mouth 
and  cunning  gray  eyes,  which  look  as  though  they 
would  never  let  you  see  what  was  going  on  behind 
them. 


118  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

In  the  old  days  before  the  railway  reached  them, 
when  the  city  was  first  settled,  indeed  for  long  after- 
wards, there  was  no  money  in  circulation,  and  the 
Mormons  lived  on  a  general  exchange  system.  A 
facetious  record  of  the  time  says  :  "  A  farmer  wishes 
for  a  pair  of  shoes,  gives  a  load  of  wood  in  exchange, 
and  is  straightway  shod  ;  he  gives  a  calf  for  a  pair  of 
pantaloons ;  seven  water-melons  are  paid  for  admission 
to*  the  theatre.  One  man  paid  seventy-five  cabbage  per 
quarter  for  the  teaching  of  his  children.  The  dress- 
maker received  for  her  services  four  squashes  per  day. 
The  Church  dues  were  settled  in  molasses.  Two  loads 
of  pumpkins  paid  a  subscription  to  the  newspaper.  A 
treatise  on  Celestial  Marriage  was  bought  for  a  load 
of  gravel.  And  the  cost  of  a  bottle  of  soothing  syrup 
for  the  baby  was  a  bushel  of  string  beans." 

All  this  is  changed  now ;  there  is  plenty  of  gold 
and  silver  in  circulation,  and  the  general  exchange 
system,  once  universal,  is  now  dead. 

The  matter  of  marriage  is  very  simply  conducted ; 
if  a  man  desires  to  make  an  addition  to  his  family  in 
the  shape  of  a  wife,  he  makes  such  desire  known  to  the 
president  of  his  Church  with  whose  permission  he  pro- 
poses to  her,  she  of  course,  as  in  all  Christian  countries, 
having  the  right  to  refuse  or  accept  him.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  a  lady  has  any  predilection  for  a  certain 
gentleman,  she  is  encouraged  to  make  her  preference 
known  to  him,  her  tender  feeling  being  considered  as 
a  prompting  of  nature  which  ought  to  be  obeyed. 

We  were  anxious  to  hear  the  holding  forth  at  the 
Tabernacle  on  Sunday  morning,  and  went  early  to 
secure  good  seats.  Slowly  the  auditorium,  galleries 
and  all,  filled  to  overflowing,  with  a  motley  set  of 


AMONG   THE    MORMONS.  119 

people,  who  seemed  to  set  worldly  fashion  at  defiance. 
There  were  some  elderly  heads  in  corkscrew  curls  and 
poke  bonnets,  trimmed  with  sad-coloured  ribbons  or 
faded  flowers  ;  some  of  the  coal-scuttle  celebrity  pro- 
jecting till  you  only  got  a  telescopic  view  of  the  faded 
face  within  it.  As  a  rule  they  wore  short  scanty 
skirts  and  old-fashioned  kerchiefs  or  shawls  pinned 
across  their  breasts.  Such  a  collection  of  antiquated 
millinery  and  quaint  combination  of  colours  it  would 
have  been  difficult  to  find  elsewhere.  Here  and  there 
a  pretty  young  face  bloomed  from  an  artistic  arrange- 
ment of  lace  and  flowers,  as  though  the  hand  of  a 
French  milliner  had  dropped  it  from  the  skies.  An 
occasional  parody  on  the  famous  Devonshire  hat 
loomed  upon  our  sight.  One  or  two  were  got  up  like 
fashion  plates  direct  from  press.  It  was  a  strange 
combination  of  the  Old  World  and  the  New.  Man- 
hood was  represented  in  a  similar  fashion.  Some  in 
top-boots,  frieze  jackets,  and  stubble  head  of  hair,  with 
gay-coloured  bandannas  round  their  throats.  Others 
in  misfitting  suits  hanging  loosely  on  their  ungainly 
limbs.  There  was  a  sprinkling  of  dandyism  among 
them  in  frockcoats  and  flowers  in  their  button-holes ; 
but  broadcloth  and  fine  linen  generally  occupied  seats 
near  the  organ,  and  were  grouped  around  where  the 
elders  and  priesthood  were  seated  in  great  solemnity. 

I  was  sorry  to  learn  there  was  to  be  no  general 
service  on  this  Sabbath  morning ;  four  of  the  elders 
had  just  returned  from  Europe,  and  were  to  stand  forth 
and  give  an  account  of  themselves  to  the  community. 
The  service  (for  so  I  must  call  it  for  want  of  a 
better  word)  commenced  with  a  prayer,  which  seemed 
rather  to  carry  an  assurance  of  their  own  worthiness 


120  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

to  the  throne  of  grace  than  a  supplication  for  its 
mercy ;  then  the  organ  poured  forth  its  volume  of  rich 
sounds,  and  the  voices  of  the  thousands  present  united 
in  a  grand  old  hymn,  glorious  to  hear.  That  ended, 
a  young  elder,  clean  shaven  and  in  funereal  black,  stood 
up  in  the  rostrum,  in  front  of  the  table,  and  held 
forth  :  "  He  had  travelled  under  the  guidance  of  a 
special  providence "  (he  spoke  as  though  it  were  a 
special  train),  "  and  claimed  the  thanks  of  the  multi- 
tude for  his  safe  return."  Then  commenced  a  tirade  of 
self-glorification  ;  not  a  word  of  supplication,  of  prayer, 
or  praise  fell  from  his  lips ;  his  moral  attitude  was  one 
of  exultant  vanity,  as  though  they  had  absorbed  all 
piety,  all  virtue,  and  left  not  a  grain  for  the  hungry 
world  outside.  He  talked  a  mass  of  irreverent  twaddle, 
as  though  he  were  in  the  secrets  of  the  Almighty 
Ruler  of  men  ;  he  communicated  to  those  present  the 
private  information  which  he  had  received  direct  from 
heaven,  "  that  that  modern  Babylon,  that  most  foul  and 
evil  city  of  Great  Britain,  whence  he  had  just  returned, 
should  be  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  God's  wrath  !  Not 
one  would  be  saved,  not  one,  except  those  few  brands 
which  he  had  plucked  from  the  burning  "  (those  brands 
being  represented  by  an  awkward  squad  of  ignorant 
humanity,  who  looked  as  if  they  had  marched  in 
the  rear  of  civilization,  and  been  covered  with  the 
dust  from  its  trampling  feet;  indeed,  they  seem  to 
have  gathered  together  the  scum  of  all  nations  to  be 
cleansed  and  purified  by  the  process  of  their  patent 
piety  !).  He  wound  up  his  edifying  discourse  with  the 
surance  "that  they,  and  they  only,  the  saints  of  the 
modern  Zion,  who  were  gathered  in  that  sacred  valley, 
could  be  saved !  While  flames  of  fury  were  licking 


AMONG    THE    MORMONS.  121 


up  the  rest  of  the  world,  they  would  be  in  glory  sing- 
ing from  harps  of  gold  ; "  indeed,  he  dealt  out  death 
and  damnation  to  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  but  grasped 
salvation  as  their  special  right.  This  assurance  seemed 
to  give  general  satisfaction,  for  the  poor  withered  faces 
round  me  lighted  up  with  a  frenzied  faith  and  re- 
joicing in  their  own  election. 

There  was  little  more  to  be  done  in  Salt  Lake,  only 
the  springs  to  be  visited,  and  they  are  neither  of  them 
a  great  distance  from  the  city.  The  sulphur  springs 
are  about  a  mile  from  our  hotel,  the  Walker  House, 
and  can  be  reached  by  horse  cars  by  those  who  dislike 
walking.  At  these  springs  there  are  baths  of  all 
description,  Turkish,  Russian,  hot-air,  etc.,  beside  the 
natural  baths,  which  are  lukewarm,  and  being  of  a 
sulphurous  nature  are  very  penetrating  and  delight- 
fully refreshing,  providing  you  do  not  stay  in  too 
long.  The  hot  springs  are  the  greatest  wonder  in  the 
city ;  there  is  a  small  alcove  in  the  limestone  rocks, 
even  with  the  surface  of  the  ground  ;  the  water  steams 
and  bubbles  up  boiling  hot,  with  a  temperature  of 
200° !  Eggs  can  be  cooked  therein  ready  for  table  in 
three  minutes.  Close  by,  beyond  the  green  meadows, 
is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  called  "  Hot  Springs 
Lake,"  which  is  supposed  to  be  fed  by  other  hot 
springs  beneath  the  surface  ;  and  strange  to  say,  in 
spite  of  the  temperature  of  the  water,  some  excellent 
fish  are  to  be  found  there. 

Having  conscientiously  done  our  duty,  so  far  as 
sight-seeing  was  concerned,  we  bid  adieu  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  the  great  social  problem  of  to-day. 


122  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ACROSS    THE    SIERRAS. 

Ogden  Station — Bustling  Bedtime — Boots — An  Invasion — A 
Wedding  Aboard — The  American  Desert — The  Glorious 
Sierras — Cape  Horn — Dutch  Flats — "  Here  they  are  " — A 
Phantom  City. 

THE  sun  is  setting.  The  skies,  so  beautifully  blue  an 
hour  ago,  are  changed  by  some  \  celestial  alchemy  to 
realms  of  gold.  Pale  sea-green  banners  float  faintly 
hither  and  thither.  For  a  moment  we  seem  to  get 
a  glimpse  of  heaven  "  through  its  gates  of  gold." 
Slowly  the  pale  yellow  changes  to  a  rich  red  hue,  with 
a  rapid  mingling  of  amethyst  and  royal  purple,  like 
the  jewelled  mantle  of  some  invisible  king,  with 
feathery  plumes  flying,  and  trains  of  brilliant  cloudlets 
hurrying  across  the  face  of  the  heavens,  as  though 
some  gorgeous  festival  was  being  held  on  high.  Then 
the  gray  sombre  clouds  come  gathering  together,  like 
heavy  household  troops  at  the  close  of  a  grand  pro- 
cession, and  the  brilliant  scene  is  over.  There  is  no 
long  dreamy  twilight  in  these  regions.  The  sun  does 
not  "  slowly  sink  to  rest."  It  drops  down  in  a  blink- 
ing, lazy  sort  of  way,  as  though  it  was  tired  of  shining 
so  long  in  one  place.  Its  fleecy  flock  of  clouds  sur- 
round it.  We  have  scarcely  time  to  behold  its  glory  ; 


.ACROSS  THE    SIERRAS.  123 

even  as  we  exclaim,  "What  a  gorgeous  sunset!"  the 
gates  of  heaven  are  closed,  and  it  is  night,  though  a 
scattered  colony  of  soft  gray  shadows  still  linger 
among  the  mountains. 

We  are  at  Ogden  Station,  waiting  to  resume  our 
journey  westward.  The  engine  snorts,  and  spits,  and 
whistles,  and  clanks  its  iron  harness,  in  a  hurry  to  be 
off.  Lights  are  flashing  hither  and  thither.  The 
nervous  man,  hot,  dusty,  and  with  an  agonized  face, 
rushes  after  his  baggage.  He  will  keep  an  eye  on  it ; 
he  cannot  be  persuaded  that  the  baggage-master's 
certificate  is  surety  for  its  safety.  He  watches  it 
swallowed  up  in  the  van,  then  with  a  sigh  of  relief 
returns,  to  begin  a  fresh  hurry  and  worry  about  some- 
thing else.  We  feel  ourselves  quite  old,  experienced 
travellers  by  this  time,  and  have  learned  to  take  things 
easily.  Our  nervous  friend  cannot  even  eat  his  supper 
in  peace  ;  he  rushes  out  between  every  mouthful  to 
make  sure  he  is  not  left  behind.  Presently  the  con- 
ductor's well-known  call,  "  All  aboard,  all  aboard," 
greets  our  ears,  and  we  leisurely  walk  out  upon  the 
platform.  There  stands  the  long  line  of  "  silver  palace 
cars."  (Query  :  Why  "  silver,"  when  they  are  painted 
bright  yellow  ? )  We  have  left  the  rich,  brown,  sombre- 
hued  Pullman  cars  of  the  Union  Pacific,  and  are  now 
about  to  resume  our  journey  on  the  "  Central  Pacific," 
in  cars  of  gold.  An  obliging  official  stands  at  the 
entrance  of  every  carriage,  and  shows  you  to  your 
special  section,  as  courteously  as  you  would  be  shown 
into  the  reception-room  of  a  friend.  The  engine  bell, 
which  sounds  to  us  like  the  voice  of  a  friend,  sends 
forth  its  monotonous  "  cling  clang,  cling  clang,"  its 
brazen  clangour  grows  faint  and  fainter,  and  is  still. 


124  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE.  LANDS. 

With  a  final  rattle  and  a  shriek  we  plunge  into 
the  night,  the  sparks,  like  fiery  comets,  flying  from 
its  smoky  throat.  We  strain  our  eyes  for  a  parting 
glance  at  the  Wahsatch  Mountains,  glorious  in  their 
grand  loveliness,  and  at  the  marvellous  canons  and 
gorges  which  we  know  are  yawning  and  opening  their 
mysterious  depths  on  either  side  of  us.  But  they  are 
wrapped  in  a  weird  shadowy  twilight ;  we  can  only 
see  their  dim  outline,  and  are  left  to  imagine  their 
darker  depths  as  we  fly  past  them.  The  thin  crescent 
crown  of  the  baby  moon  was  visible  a  while  ago,  but 
it  has  gone  now,  and  the  stars  come  out — celestial 
shepherds  keeping  watch  over  their  fleecy  flocks  on 
high.  We  know  we  are  rushing  along  by  the  fishless 
waters  of  the  green  salt  lake,  but  we  look  out  upon 
a  world  of  darkness ;  we  shall  see  nothing  till  the 
morning,  so  turn  our  thoughts  bedward. 

Our  car  is  still  in  a  state  of  commotion,  some  people 
are  so  long  settling  down.  There  is  a  wiry-looking 
elderly  lady  in  corkscrew  curls,  who  seems  as  restless 
and  lively  as  a  summer  flea.  She  bounces  from  ,one 
side  of  her  section  to  the  other,  rummaging  her  satchel, 
then  her  valise,  for  something  she  can't  find,  fishes  a 
vinaigrette  from  her  lunch-basket,  and  with  a  grunt  of 
satisfaction  sits  sniffing  at  it  for  a  while  ;  then  hops  up 
as  though  she  had  been  suddenly  pierced  with  needles, 
and  begins  setting  things  tidy.  Her  section  overflows 
with  tiny  packages  of  all  shapes  and  sizes.  They  will 
fall  off  the  seat  and  roll  into  somebody  else's  section ; 
she  scrambles  and  dives  after  them,  shaking  and 
patting  her  property  as  though  she  had  just  rescued  a 
rat  from  drowning.  She  is  always  losing  something, 
and  shaking  herself  to  find  it.  Then  came  a  general 


ACROSS  THE    SIERRAS.  125 

stir,  the  letting  down  of  berths  and  making  of  beds. 
The  gentlemen  retired  to  the  smoking-room  during  the 
preparations    for    retiring.     One    by   one    the    ladies 
disappear   behind  their  curtains.     Our  restless  friend 
vanishes  into  her  berth  with  a  bounce ;  her  curtains 
bulge  and  flutter ;  at  last,  with  a  series  of  moans  and 
mutterings  she  is  still,  but  not  silent,  even  in  her  sleep. 
The  gentlemen  return  with  a  creaking  of  boots  and 
banging   of  doors.     One    by  one  they  too  disappear. 
One  who  is    "  fat   and  scant  of  breath "   laboriously 
climbs  into  his  berth  and  rolls  into  it  like  a  worn-out 
hippopotamus ;  another  climbs  up  with  the  agility  of  a 
cat ;    a   third  swings  himself  up  as  though  he  were 
performing    an    acrobatic    exercise,   then    a    pair    of 
pantaloons   dangle   for  a  moment   in  the  air  and  are 
suddenly  drawn  up  by  their  owner,  and  all  is  peace. 
There  is  nothing  left  of  mankind  but  his  boots,  stand- 
ing in  solemn  array  along  the  floor.     Any  one  with  an 
eye  for  character  might  have  gained  some  knowledge 
from  a  study  of  these  "  boots."     The  spirit  of  their 
numerous   owners  seemed  to   cling   to  the  uppers  or 
linger  about  the  soles.     Here  was  a  pair  of  spick  and 
span  patent  leathers,  suggestive  of  spotless  linen  and 
irreproachable  character,  with  not  a  thought  beyond 
etiquette    and    broadcloth.      Others    had    a    careless 
philosophical  look,  with  uncompromising  soles,  tough 
uppers,  with  little  or  no  attempt  at  shining,  slightly 
worn  down  at  the  heels,  and  turned  up  at  the  toes. 
Some  bulged  out  in  suspicious  places.     Some  looked  as 
if  they  had  tramped  the   world  through  ;    others    as 
though  they  had  trod  on  velvet. 

We  slept  soundly,  lulled  by  the  monotonous  swing 
of  the  cars,  till  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 


126  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

when  -there  was  a  slight  stir  in  our  car,  a  gruff 
rumbling  of  masculine  voices.  The  young  lady  in 
the  opposite  section  was  roused  from  her  slumbers. 

"  Get  up,  miss,  please,"  said  the  conductor ;  "  a 
gentleman  has  just  boarded  the  train  and  wants  to 
speak  to  you." 

"It  is  I,  Agnes,"  said  a  manly  voice  ;  "  make  haste 
and  dress  yourself."  There  was  a  rustle  and  flutter 
behind  the  curtains. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  Is  there  anything  wrong  ?  " 
said  the  girl's  voice  in  some  alarm. 

"  Oh  no ;  I  rather  think  everything  is  pretty  con- 
siderably right,"  was  the  assuring  answer.  "  Be  quick, 
there's  a  dear  girl." 

She  made  a  hasty  toilette,  and  the  pair  went  out 
upon  the  platform  to  discuss  their  plans.  A  whisper  flew 
round,  with  the  daylight  that  there  was  to  be  a  wedding 
at  the  place  where  we  were  to  stop  for  breakfast.  This 
startling  intelligence  created  a  general  interest.  There 
was  a  whispering  and  a  wondering  of  the  why  and  the 
wherefore  of  this  strange  proceeding.  The  lovers 
were  too  much  occupied  with  one  another  to  make  any 
communication  even  had  they  been  disposed  to  do  so. 
The  lady  was  coy ;  she  hesitated.  The  idea  of  a 
wedding  without  orange  blossoms,  bridesmaids,  or 
even  a  slice  of  wedding  cake  !  But  the  bridegroom 
elect  sternly  whispered  :  "  Now  or  never."  From  the 
brief  scraps  of  conversation  which  fell  to  our  ears  we 
gathered  the  simple  fact  that  the  engagement  was  a 
clandestine  one,  and  was  disapproved  of  by  their 
mutual  friends,  who  were  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
lady  at  "  Sacramento."  Once  under  their  influence 
they  would  contrive  to  break  it  off,  and  put  an  end  to 


ACROSS   THE   SIERRAS.  127 

it.  The  gentleman  got  an  inkling  of  this,  and  prepared 
to  frustrate  their  diabolical  purpose.  He  had  travelled 

with  all  speed  to ,  secured  the  services  of  the 

judge,  and  left  him  waiting  there  while  he  came  on 
to  meet  and  prepare  the  lady.  While  we  were  quietly 
taking  our  coffee  and  eggs  those  'two  were  made  one. 
A  great  deal  of  handshaking  and  good  wishes  passed 
round. 

"  All  aboard,  all  aboard,"  came  the  familiar  cry. 
The  newly  married  couple  were  driven  off  in  an  old 
ramshackle  chaise,  the  best  the  place  afforded,  in  the 
direction  of  the  Black  Hills.  We  had  no'  old  shoes  to 
throw  after  them  "for  luck,"  but  somebody  routed  out 
a  baby's  worsted  sock  and  flung  it  straight  into  the 
bride's  lap,  and  they  drove  off  amid  chatter  and  laughter 
and  a  world  of  good  wishes. 

We  wake  up  in  the  morning  and  find  ourselves 
speeding  along  the  great  American  desert,  a  wide 
expanse  of  desolation  covered  with  tiny  gray-green 
buffalo  grass,  only  there  are  no  buffaloes  now  to  eat  it. 
It  is  devoured  by  meaner  animals.  Looking  through 
our  glasses,  we  see  what  looks  like  an  army  of  animated 
ant-hills.  We  are  told  they  are  immense  herds  of 
cattle,  thousands  strong,  who  are  sent  up  there  to  get 
their  own  living  some  months  of  the  year,  and  then 
descend  to  the  valleys  as  fat  as  butter,  a  mine  of  wealth 
to  their  owners.  The  earth  is  slightly  covered  with 
snow,  and  looks  as  though  it  had  been  sprinkled  with 
salt  and  put  in  pickle.  All  is  blank  and  bare ;  there 
are  no  more  architectural  wonders  of  the  great  un- 
known, no  more  ruined  castles  and  towers  standing 
solemnly  in  the  silent  air.  Hour  after  hour  the  earth 
flies  beneath  the  hoofs  of  our  iron  horse.  We  are  not 


128  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    L^NDS. 

sorry  when  the  night  comes  and  shuts  this  desolation 
from  our  sight,  for  the  day  has  been  a  long  and  a 
dreary  one,  and  we  retire  early  to  rest. 

We  go  to  sleep  in  the  dismal,  snow-covered  heights 
of  Nevada,  and  wake  in  the  glorious,  pine-clad  forests 
among  the  foot-hills  of  the  grand  Sierras,  having 
passed  their  summit  during  the  night.  There  is  no 
more  glorious  sight  in  the  whole  wide  world  than  this 
which  now  opens  upon  our  view.  We  hold  our  breath, 
awe-struck  and  wondering,  as  we  swing  round  the 
shoulder  of  the  mountain  and  plunge  down  its  rugged 
sides.  We  feel  as  though  we  were  rushing  through 
the  air.  There  is  nothing  but  this  narrow  trestle 
between  us  and  the  boiling  caldron  a  hundred  feet 
below.  We  lift  our  .heads  and  look  up  at  the 
wonderfully  wooded  heights,  where  the  pointed  pines 
seem  to  prick  the  skies,  and  down  to  the  deep  valleys 
below,  winding  through  sunless  gorges  till  they  are 
lost  in  narrow  canons  where  the  foot  of  man  has  never 
ventured  yet,  and  where  the  grizzly  still  finds  his  home 
undisturbed.  All  the  picturesque  beauty  and  solemn 
grandeur  of  the  wide  world  seems  to  be  gathered 
together  here  in  this  noble  range  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas, 
covered  with  all  the  luxuriance  of  summer's  divinest 
bloom — a  kind  of  spiritual  sunshine,  falling  straight 
from  heaven  on  lake  and  river,  gorge  and  canon, 
covering  and  glorifying  all.  A  beautiful  purple  mist 
lies  in  a  dreamy  softness  everywhere.  We  dash  round 
sudden  curves  and  up  grade  and  down  grade,  new  and 
picturesque  beauties  opening  on  all  sides  of  us.  There 
is  a  general  stir.  "  We  are  nearing  Cape  Horn,"  cries 
somebody,  and  in  another  moment  we  are  speeding 
round  a  sharp  curve,  rushing  along  the  face  of  the 


ACROSS    THE    SIERRAS.  129 

mountain,  clinging  to  the  narrow  ledge  of  rock.  Our 
engine  itself  seems  dizzy  as  it  swings  us  round  with  a 
shriek  and  a  rattle,  looking  down  two  thousand  feet 
upon  the  boiling  river  below.  Soon  the  scene  grows 
more  magnificent  still,  the  views  more  vast  and 
extensive ;  the  wonderful  chasms  are  frightful  to 
behold ;  the  mountains  open  into  wide  galleries  of 
rocks  and  boulders,  stretching  out  and  upward  till 
they  are  lost  in  a  world  of  pines  and  peaks  of  ice  and 
snow.  All  the  Kohinoors  that  were  ever  dug  out  of 
the  bosom  of  the  earth  are  poor  and  pale  before  these 
diamond  peaks  now  flashing  in  the  sunlight.  We 
would  like  to  stop  the  train,  and  get  out  and  wander 
up  into  these  forest  mountains  and  down  into  the  glens, 
and  dabble  in  the  sparkling  waters,  so  pure  and  bright 
they  might  be  flowing  direct  from  the  throne  of  the 
Almighty  God,  but  we  are,  perforce,  carried  on.  We 
pass  the  mining  districts  of  Dutch  Flats,  where 
hydraulic  operations  were  once  extensively  carried  on, 
and  have  broken  up  and  ravaged  the  country  round, 
damaged  its  fair  face  in  the  greed  for  gold,  and  left 
but  bare  and  ragged  mountain-sides,  whose  gaping 
wounds  are  slowly  healing  and  are  being  gradually 
covered  by  nature's  tender  green.  We  can  still  trace 
where  the  immense  body  of  water  has  been  hurled 
against  the  mountain  and  torn  down  hundreds  of  tons 
of  earth  and  stone,  and  sand  and  gold,  which  were  all 
flung  down  and  caught  in  a  series  of  iron  sieves  or 
gratings,  some  charged  with  quicksilver  to  attract  the 
smaller  grains  of  gold  which  escaped  the  sifting 
process. 

This  part  of  the   scenery  is   interesting  from  its 
association  with  the  old,  dead  days,  when  the  solitude 


130  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

rang  with  the  rush  and  din  of  thousands,  all  hurrying 
and  jostling  one  another  in  their  search  for  gold. 
The  tumble-down  ruins  of  the  miners'  huts  are  still 
clinging  to  the  edge  of  the  water  or  at  the  foot  of 
the  broken  mountain,  like  a  weird  memory  lingering 
in  the  haunts  of  old. 

We  sat  silent  now,  enjoying  the  genial  air.  On 
our  first  view  of  these  glorious  Sierras  we  had  run  the 
gamut  of  our  unbounded  and  rapturous  delight ;  we 
had  pointed  out  our  phrases  with  big  notes  of  mental 
admiration  ;  we  wanted  a  new  coinage  of  words  before 
we  could  express  ourselves.  We  had  grown  tired  of 
the  old  phrases, — for  the  time,  at  least, —  so  we  sat  in 
silence,  letting  our  eyes  rest  and  our  thoughts  revel  on 
the  scenes  we  were  passing  through. 

Presently  our  engine-bell  began  its  monotonous 
"  cling  clang,"  and  we  steamed  into  the  station  of 
Sacramento ;  and  there,  on  a  table  running  along  the 
whole  length  of  the  platform,  an  excellent  lunch  was 
served.  Tea  and  coffee,  chicken-salad,  ham  and  eggs, 
and  no  end  of  fruits  and  flowers,  were  most  temptingly 
laid  out ;  and  here  we  gained  our  first  glimpse  of  the 
moon-faced,  almond-eyed  Chinese  officiating  as  waiters 
—clean,  quick,  and  obliging.  Having  supplied  our- 
selves with  all  we  required,  we  asked  of  our  attentive 
Celestial — 

"  How  much  to  pay  ?  " 

"  Two  bittee,"  he  answered,  smiling. 

I  inquired  again,  emphasizing  my  words.  The 
same  answer,  with  an  additional  grin.  Then,  speak- 
ing slowly,  severely,  in  a  louder  tone,  looking  sternly 
in  his  face,  I  repeated,  pausing  between  each  word — 

"  I — want — to — pay." 


ACROSS    THE    SIERRAS.  131 

"  Two  bittee,"  he  answered,  grinning  from  ear  to 
ear,  and  looking  so  pleased  with  himself  that  I  felt 
inclined  to  laugh  too. 

"  Twenty-five  cents,"  explained  a  gentleman  at  my 
elbow.  "  They  count  in  bits  here,  and  two  bits  is 
twenty-five  cents." 

By  this  time  I  had  noticed  two  gentlemen  and  a 
lady  searching  eagerly  among  the  passengers,  evi- 
dently for  somebody  they  could  not  find.  Having 
scanned  all  the  faces  assembled  on  the  platform,  they 
wandered  from  one  end  of  the  empty  cars  to  the  other. 
Then  held  a  brief  consultation  together. 

"  So  very  strange,"  I  heard  one  say.  "  She  cer- 
tainly started  from  Chicago.  We'd  better  telegraph." 

I  fancy  they  are  searching  for  the  bride.  They  will 
search  long  before  they  find  her.  She  is  far  away,  up 
in  the  Black  Hills  by  this  time.  But  nobody  attempts 
to  put  the  clue  in  the  hands  of  the  seekers. 

After  a  stop  of  twenty  minutes  we  resumed  our  way 
in  very  jubilant  spirits.  We  knew  we  were  nearing 
our  journey's  end.  We  passed  through  the  beautiful 
Valley  of  Sacramento,  all  abloom  with  fruits  and 
flowers  and  aglow  with  the  glorious  sunshine.  We 
took  in  every  feature  of  the  landscape,  though  we  were 
watching  eagerly  the  while,  and  looking  forward  to 
the  first  glimpse  of  the  Golden  City.  We  gathered 
our  things  together,  then  commenced  to  smarten  our- 
selves up  to  make  a  decent  appearance  in  the  face 
of  the  New  World.  In  another  hour  we  shall  be 
there.  We  make  a  few  minutes'  halt  at  San  Pablo, 
and  are  just  putting  a  few  finishing  touches  to  our 
toilette,  when  "  Here  they  are ! "  cries  a  familiar 
voice.  We  look  up,  and  there  is  the  well-known 


132  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

face   of  an   old    friend,    come  out    from   the   strange 
world  to  greet  us.     And  how  glad  we  are  to   be  so 
greeted  !      There  is  a  good  deal  of  laughter,  an   ex- 
change of  gossip  from  the  Old  World  to  the  New. 
We  speed   through   the  streets  of  Oakland,  our   bell 
"  ding-donging "    to   warn    people    out    of  our   way. 
There  are  shops  and  houses  on  either  side ;  people  are 
flocking  to  and  fro  on  the  sidewalks,  buying  and  sell- 
ing, some  lounging  lazily,  gossiping  over  the  garden 
gates   among   the   tall   hollyhocks    and    big   tuberose 
trees.     They    glance   indifferently  at   us   as  we   rush 
along,  as   though  it  was  quite  a  common  thing   for 
people  to  come  three  thousand  miles  over  desert  and 
mountain  to  visit  their  wonderland.     We  pull  up  at 
Oakland  Ferry,  having  been  for  the  last  ten  minutes 
skimming  over  the  face  of  the  water  on  an  invisible 
trestlework.       Here   again,   familiar  faces,  with  their 
hands  full  of  flowers  and  their  hearts  with  welcome, 
were  there  to  meet  us  and  escort  us  across  the  bay  in 
loyal   numbers.     It  is  eight   miles  across  the  bay  to 
San   Francisco,  and  the  ferry-boats   are   like  floating 
palaces,  with  velvet  lounges,  gorgeous  in  carving  and 
gilding,   with  a  painted  ceiling,  giving  views  of  the 
surrounding  neighbourhood,  and  mirrors  on  all  sides, 
reflecting  and  multiplying  you  in  such  numbers  that 
you  cannot  get  away  from  yourself.     You  come  face 
to  face  with  your  own  ghost  whichever  way  you  turn. 
The  sea-breeze  coming  to  us,  salt  laden,  through  the 
Golden  Gate,  is   delicious,  and    stirs   our   blood,  and 
sends   it   leaping   madly  through   our   veins.      Sister 
boats   pass   and  repass  us  on  the  way,  and  more  im- 
portant vessels,  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  or  flags  of 
many   nations   fluttering   from    their    mastheads,    are 


ACROSS    THE    SIERRAS.  133 

gathered  in  crowds  in  the  beautiful  bay,  and,  as  they 
are  riding  at  anchor,  dip  and  courtesy  as  we  pass. 
Thousands  of  shrieking  sea-gulls  swoop  down,  throw 
up  their  heads,  and,  dipping  their  white  breasts  in  the 
water,  float  upon  its  surface  as  proudly  and  almost  as 
gracefully  as  baby  swans.  We  all  crowd  up  to  the 
bow  of  the  vessel.  In  vain  our  friends  point  out  the 
different  rocks  and  islands  which  stud  the  bay,  and 
the  long,  curving  line  of  the  distant  shore.  We  have 
no  eyes,  no  thought  for  anything  but  San  Francisco. 
That  is  our  Mecca — the  shrine  whereon  we  are  pre- 
pared to  lay  our  heart's  devotion. 

The  sun  is  setting,  and  the  whole  of  the  Western 
hemisphere  is  draped  with  crimson  clouds  slashed  with 
flames  of  purple  light,  and,  slowly  looming  from  their 
midst,  the  Golden  City  breaks  upon  our  sight.  We 
cannot  distinctly  distinguish  a  single  feature.  The 
palace-houses  which  crown  the  hill-top,  church  steeples 
and  spires,  are  all  hidden  and  shrouded  in  purple  mist, 
which  rolls  down  the  steep  streets,  spreads  everywhere, 
and  covers  everything  with  a  soft,  sweet  mystery,  and 
we  only  see,  or  seem  to  see,  a  wide,  extensive  range 
of  buttressed,  battlemented  castles — a  ruined  castellated 
world.  And  so  we  catch  our  first  view  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, like  a  phantom  city  lying  in  the  arms  of  the 
sunset. 


134  THROUGH   CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    GOLDEN    CITY. 

The  Streets — Kaleidoscopic  Scenes — The  Stock  Boards — Wild  Cat 
—Bulls  and  Bears— The  Markets— The  "  Dummy  "—Lone 
Mountain. 

WE  pass  through  a  deafening  crowd  of  hackmen,  who 
are  ranged  on  either  side  of  the  landing-stage,  and  a 
posse  of  hotel  porters,  each  in  a  monotonous  sing-song 
calling  the  name  of  his  hotel.  To  all  insinuating  invi- 
tations we  sternly  answer  "  Occidental,"  and  are  allowed 
to  pass  without  further  let  or  hindrance.  We  find  our 
comfortable  hotel  coach  waiting,  and  jolt  and  rumble 
through  the  stony  Market  Street.  We  see  nothing  but 
throngs  of  people,  flaring  gas-jets,  and  lighted  shop- 
windows,  and  in  a  few  minutes  are  deposited  at  the 
door  of  the  Occidental,  a  strange  sound  to  us  then, 
but  soon  to  become  familiar  as  a  household  word. 

A  cosy  suite  of  rooms  had  been  prepared  for  us,  and 
here  again  friendly  hands  had  filled  our  room  with 
flowers,  giving  us  a  most  sweet  floral  welcome  to 
California. 

On  this,  our  very  first  evening  in  San  Francisco, 
friends  we  have  not  seen  for  years  come  rallying 
round  us ;  their  bright,  familiar  faces  and  pleasant 
voices  ringing  out  a  kindly  welcome,  bring  back  a 


THE    GOLDEN    CITY.  135 

glimpse  of  the  old  land  and  the  old  scenes  wherein  we 
had  all  played  our  part  in  the  dear  long  ago.  For  a 
moment  I  only  see  their  faces  through  a  mist,  but  the 
mist  is  in  my  own  eyes.  Everybody  is  anxious  to 
come  to  the  fore  and  escort  us  on  our  first  tour  round 
their  Golden  City. 

The  next  morning  early  we  sallied  forth  to  get  our 
first  general  view  of  San  Francisco,  as  we  like  to 
familiarize  ourselves  with  the  face  of  a  friend  before 
we  criticise  his  features  or  attempt  to  discuss  his 
character.  Our  hotel  is  situated  in — or,  as  we  may 
say  here,  on — Montgomery  Street,  one  of  the  busiest 
portions  of  the  city.  There  are  some  notably  hand- 
some jeweller's  and  other  shops ;  but  by  far  the 
greater  number,  both  there  and  on  the  lower  part  of 
California  Street,  are  public  notaries,  bill-brokers,  stock- 
brokers, attorneys,  and  mining  agents  ;  in  fact,  every 
facility  for  financial  ruin  yawns  on  all  sides  of  you. 
There  is  a  tempting  restaurant  sandwiched  in  here 
and  there,  or  you  may  descend  into  a  kind  of  cellar 
and  take  your  refreshments  comfortably  underground. 
There  are,  besides,  numerous  barbers'  shops,  as  no 
American,  East  or  West,  will  shave  an  inch  of  his  own 
chin ;  and  open  spaces  where  gentlemen  lounge  on 
velvet  chairs  and  read  the  news  while  their  boots  are 
having  "  a  shine  for  five  cents,"  for  here,  as  in  other 
parts  of  America,  you  must  clean  your  own  boots  and 
shoes  or  go  out  and  have  a  public  "  shine  for  five 
cents."  The  shoeblack's  being  a  strictly  outdoor 
industry,  forms  no  part  of  anybody's  domestic  duty. 

There  is  a  general  rush  and  flow  of  mankind 
through  this  busy  street,  the  Exchange  being  situated 
hereon.  The  moment  its  doors  are  open  everybody  seems 


136  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

to  be  flocking  up  or  hurrying  down  the  steps.  There 
is  an  endless  stir  and  passing  to  and  fro.  They  gather 
in  crowds  upon  the  sidewalks,  swarm  at  the  street 
corners,  and  surge  into  the  roadways.  Curbstone 
brokers,  the  ragged  fringe  of  the  stockboards,  lie  in 
wait  everywhere,  like  spiders,  waiting  to  catch  some 
silly,  inexperienced  fly  in  their  financial  web  of  fine 
promises.  There  are  men  of  all  kinds  and  all  nations, 
a  kaleidoscopic  company  of  Jews  and  Christians, 
Orientals  of  divers  degrees,  even  South  Sea  Islanders 
washed  up  from  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  the  grim- 
visaged  Tartar  chief,  and  foreigners  from  all  parts  of 
the  civilized  world  make  up  the  incongruous  gathering, 
all  babbling  together,  creating  a  very  Babel  and  con- 
fusion of  tongues.  You  may  hear  men  grumble  in 
guttural  German  ;  swear  in  high  Dutch ;  insinuate  in 
soft,  mellifluous  Italian  or  musical  Greek ;  and,  indeed, 
bargain,  wrangle,  and  chat  in  every  language  under 
the  sun.  The  spirit  of  speculation  is  in  the  air ;  its 
subtle  influence  stirs  the  very  centre  of  life ;  everybody 
speculates  ;  everybody  has  "  something  in  stocks  ;  "  the 
poorest  servant-girl,  the  hard-working  mechanic,  with 
the  rest  of  the  labouring  population,  invest  their  little 
all  in  stocks.  You  may  see  their  eager  faces  crowding 
round  the  windows  where  the  rise  and  fall  in  stocks  is 
exhibited  every  hour.  Millions  of  dollars  are  floating 
about  in  investments  in  worthless  mines,  which  will 
never  yield  an  ounce  of  gold.  Well,  the  stocks  are  up 
to-day,  down  to-morrow ;  the  fever  is  in  the  blood  of 
the  people ;  they  will  drain  their  pockets,  sell  their 
clothes  off  their  back,  the  home  that  shelters  them,  the 
very  land  they  live  by,  all  in  the  race  for  wealth.  So 
long  as  they  have  a  cent  or  "  wild  cat "  is  to  be  got  in 


THE    GOLDEN    CITY.  137 

the  market,  they'll  have  it.  Well,  somebody  grows 
rich.  Somebody  rides  on  the  great  third  wave,  though 
thousands  sink  beneath  it  and  are  lost. 

I,  like  the  rest  of  the  world,  fell  into  the  gilded 
snare,  and  with  one  of  my  too  confiding  friends,  was 
induced  to  take  a  hand  at  this  game  of  speculation. 
Silently  and  secretly  we  matrons  laid  our  plans, 
letting  not  our  right  hand  know  what  our  left  was 
doing.  We  had  reason  to  believe  that  a  certain  mine 
would  disgorge  heaps  of  gold  within  the  next  two 
weeks ;  shares  were  low  at  the  present  time,  but  as 
soon  as  gold  came  to  the  surface,  they  would  double, 
treble,  nay  quadruple,  in  a  single  day — perhaps  rise 
from  five  to  a  hundred  dollars  per  share  !  In  a  frenzy 
of  gold  fever  we  rushed  off  to  a  stockbroker's  office, 
and  invested  all  our  ready  cash,  even  to  our  last 
dollar,  in  that  promising  stock.  We  turned  our  faces 
homeward,  beggars  in  the  present,  millionaires  in  the 
future.  We  seemed  to  tread  on  air,  and  sent  our 
thoughts  flying  through  the  realms  of  imagination, 
building  castles  in  the  air,  and  making  glorious  plans 
for  the  future ;  we  felt  as  though  we  already  held  that 
El  Dorado  in  our  pockets,  and  disposed  of  it,  each  in 
our  own  fashion.  My  friend  chose  a  lovely  spot,  over- 
looking the  bay,  and  the  green  hills  beyond,  and 
announced  her  intention  of  building  a  house  there,  and 
presenting  it  to  her  liege  lord  on  the  next  anniversary 
of  their  wedding  day  ;  she  decided  on  the  kind  of  wall- 
paper, the  particular  dado,  and  even  on  the  style  of 
furniture,  which  was  to  be  selected  on  purely  Art 
principles.  My  ideas  were  equally  magnificent,  though 
my  plans  were  more  indefinite,  and  certainly  did  not 
run  in  the  house-building  line.  For  two  weeks  the  one 


138  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

golden  idea  possessed  our  minds ;  every  morning  we 
watched  eagerly  for  news.  At  last  it  came.  The 
miners  had  reached  the  expected  spot,  and  struck — not 
gold,  but  water  !  Our  hopes  were  washed  away,  our 
expectations  drowned  in  a  sea  of  repentance. 

But  this  is  a  digression.  To  return  to  our  first 
day's  experience.  While  we  were  jostling  our  way 
through  the  bustling  streets  of  San  Francisco's  busi- 
ness quarter,  staring  on  all  sides  with  all  our  eyes, 
and,  like  Chowder,  seeming  "to  want  another  pair," 
some  one  of  our  party  proposed  a  visit  to  the  Stock 
Boards,  it  being  just  about  the  time  when  the  financial 
hounds  would  be  in  full  cry,  and  the  "  bulls "  and 
"  bears  "  tossing  and  tumbling  among  the  stocks,  send- 
ing them  up  or  pulling  them  down  in  the  wildest 
fashion.  To  "  bull "  is  to  send  up  the  stocks  ;  to 
"  bear  "  is  to  pull  them  down. 

We  were  ushered  into  a  gallery  overlooking  the 
scene  of  operations  ;  directly  in  front  of  us  was  a  plat- 
form ;  two  or  three  men  were  writing  at  different 
tables,  and,  at  one  in  the  centre  of  the  platform,  stood 
a  stout,  stolid-looking  individual  with  a  small  bell 
beside  him ;  below,  seated  in  circular  rows  rising  from 
the  floor  of  the  building,  were  the  shareholders  in  the 
different  mines,  watching,  with  anxious  faces,  the 
financial  fight.  In  the  railed-in  centre,  which  was 
something  like  the  old  gladiatorial  arena,  the  stock- 
brokers themselves  held  the  floor.  There  was  a 
momentary  lull  as  we  entered  ;  it  was  the  close  of  the 
first  session.  Every  face  was  turned  towards  the  plat- 
form, waiting  till  the  sphinx  should  speak.  A  few 
hurriedly  uttered  words  from  the  stolid  individual 
above  alluded  to — and  such  a  commotion  !  A  deafening 


THE    GOLDEN    CITY.  139 

roar  of  voices,  pitched  in  a  hundred  different  keys, 
clattering  and  clanging  one  against  the  other  !  A  sea 
of  excited  faces,  eyes  flashing,  arms  tossing  wildly, 
fingers  flung  out  and  snapping  in  each  other's  faces, 
a  struggle,  a  rush,  a  swaying  to  and  fro  of  the  crowd, 
which  seemed  wedged  into  a  solid  mass !  It  seemed 
as  though  a  sudden,  go-as-you-please  free  fight  was 
going  on.  We  fancied  they  never  could  emerge  whole 
from  the  conflict ;  their  clothes  must  be  torn  from 
their  backs,  their  limbs  from  their  sockets.  One  stroke 
on  the  bell,  and,  as  though  by  a  magic  touch,  all  is 
still — all  silent.  In  that  few  minutes'  commotion 
fortunes  have  been  lost  and  won. 

The  clerk,  in  a  monotonous,  sing-song  tone  and 
rapid  utterance,  goes  over  the  amount  of  business 
transacted.  Strange  it  seemed  to  us,  that  out  of  that 
"  confusion  worse  confounded,"  that  tangled  skein  of 
words  and  babel  of  sounds,  he  extracted  the  clear 
argument,  drew  out  each  particular  thread,  and  re- 
iterated the  quotations  of  stocks  and  by  whom  they 
had  been  bought  or  sold,  never  in  a  single  instance 
making  a  mistake.  Through  all  that  din  and  confusion 
of  tongues  it  had  been  plain  sailing  to  him.  The 
"  bulls  "  had  it  to-day,  the  "  bears  "  would  have  their 
turn  to-morrow.  So  the  world  goes  round. 

Next  we  strolled  up  Kearney,  the  Bond  or  Kegent 
Street  of  San  Francisco.  It  is  a  very  handsome  street 
in  the  most  fashionable  quarter  of  the  town,  with 
elegant,  tastefully  arranged  shops  on  either  side.  It  is 
quite  the  fashionable  promenade  on  Saturday  after- 
noons. All  the  elite  of  the  city,  elegantly  dressed 
women  (the  San  Francisco  ladies  do  dress  elegantly, 
though  sometimes  with  a  daring  combination  of  colours 


140  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

that  are  somewhat  disconcerting  to  the  aesthetic  taste), 
and  men  in  broadcloth  and  beaver,  turn  out  like 
soldiers  on  parade,  and  lounge  up  and  down.  Friends 
and  acquaintances  congregate-  together  and  hold  their 
receptions  on  Kearney  Street.  %  It  is  quite  a  kaleid- 
oscopic scene  of  bright  dresses  and  pretty,  smiling 
faces.  The  dusty  business  men,  in  their  cutaway  coats 
and  slouch  hats,  keep  to  their  own  quarters  in  Mont- 
gomery Street,  hard  by,  and  seldom  venture  to  intrude 
on  dainty  Kearney  Street.  But,  alas !  there  is  a  blot 
on  this  bright  picture.  There  are  sundry  open  alcoves, 
cigar  and  tobacco  stores,  pretty  and  pleasant  enough  to 
look  at,  for  they  are  gay  with  gilding  and  mirrors  and 
bright  with  flowers,  but  there  is  generally  a  crowd  of 
the  tobacco-chewing  population  congregated  here,  and 
the  sidewalk  is  in  such  a  disgusting  condition  from 
this  chewing  and  smoking  that  it  is  impossible  for 
a  lady  to  pass  without  gathering  up  her  skirts,  and 
even  then  she  runs  the  risk  of  having  a  quid  squirted 
over  her  as  she  passes  along.  All  over  America, 
more  or  less,  this  evil  habit  obtains,  and  every- 
where with  the  same  revolting  effect.  It  is,  how- 
ever, much  worse  in  the  Western  cities  than  in  the 
Eastern  States.  In  New  York,  especially,  they  seem  to 
be  awakening  to  the  error  of  their  way,  and  expectorate 
less  frequently  in  the  presence  of  ladies.  It  is  even 
possible  to  ride  for  an  hour  in  a  car  without  being 
disgusted  once.  But  here  in  the  West  the  vice  rides 
rampant.  It  is  impossible  to  escape  from  it.  In  the 
streets,  in  the  cars,  on  the  railway  trains — it  follows 
you  everywhere,  wherever  men  (I  was  going  to  say 
gentlemen,  and  some  are  so  as  far  as  the  tailor  can 
make  them)  are  travelling  to  and  fro.  This  state  of 


THE    GOLDEN    CITY.  141 

things  would  not  be  allowed  in  any  other  city  in  the 
civilized  world,  and  it  might  be  easily  remedied  if  the 
authorities  would  take  the  matter  in  hand  as  they  do 
in  the  case  of  other  nuisances,  which  may  be  more 
serious,  but  are  far  less  disgusting.  On  all  the  ferry- 
boats there  is  a  placard  :  "  Gentlemen  are  requested  not 
to  spit  about  the  deck ;  it  is  used  by  ladies."  And  they 
don't.  The  floor  of  the  deck  is  as  clean  as  a  drawing- 
room.  Why  should  not  the  same  rule  hold  elsewhere  ? 
We  stroll  through  the  markets,  and  wonder  where 
the  mountains  of  fruit  and  beautiful  flowers  have  come 
from,  and  where  they  are  going  to.  Such  heaps  of 
luscious  peaches,  plums,  and  nectarines,  bushels  of  rich, 
ripe  strawberries,  raspberries,  blue  and  green  grapes, 
melons,  and  oranges,  and  red  and  gold  bananas,  and 
vegetables  of  every  possible  description  in  tons  and 
scores  of  tons  piled  on  all  sides.  Nothing  wilted  or 
stale ;  all  fresh,  and  crisp,  and  green.  Everything 
is  in  such  royal  profusion  it  seems  as  though  nature 
had  opened  her  heart  and  showered  her  best  and 
fairest  flowers  throughout  this  Golden  State.  Pro- 
visions of  every  kind  are  to  be  found  in  these  markets, 
of  which  there  are  several,  and  all  in  populous  places, 
easy  of  access.  Dairy  farmers  send  their  golden  butter, 
plump  chickens,  and  boxes  of  white,  fresh  eggs  ;  and 
long-legged  fowls,  prairie  hens,  and  a  whole  tribe  of 
feathered  favourites  hang  like  malefactors  suspended 
overhead ;  and  dainty  white  pigs,  with  lemons  in  their 
mouths,  tails  curled  up  and  tied  with  pink  ribbons, 
and  pigs  that  had  outgrown  the  lemon  period,  and 
were  waiting  to  be  turned  to  bacon,  and  silver  trout 
and  salmon, — such  rich,  luscious-looking  salmon, — 
with  their  scaly  armour  glittering  in  the  light,  and 


142  THROUGH   CITIES   AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

big-whiskered  lobsters,  prawns,  and  crawling  crabs,  all 
opening  their  formidable  mouths  and  stirring  their  hun- 
dred feelers  in  protest  against  their  unnatural  usage. 
Every  crustaceous  delicacy  the  sea  affords  is  there,  all 
ready  to  tempt  the  appetite  of  omnivorous  man.  Every- 
thing was  refreshing  and  pleasant  to  the  eye,  and  so 
artistically  arranged  that  we  looked  round  on  a  perfect 
mosaic  of  beauty,  a  kind  of  poem,  not  made  up  of 
similes,  rhymes,  and  rhythms,  but  of  fruits  and  flowers. 
The  streets  of  San  Francisco  are  a  wonder  and  a 
marvel.  On  every  side  there  is  an  ever-changing, 
animated  scene,  unenlivened  by  organ-grinders,  dancing 
dogs,  or  Punch  and  Judys.  The  industrious  fleas  or 
the  intelligent  canaries  are  all  equally  unknown  here. 
The  attraction  of  the  streets  is  entirely  due  to  the 
polyglot  gatherings  of  people  from  all  lands,  and  the 
variegated  tide  is  eternally  flowing  to  and  fro. 
Strange  vehicles  of  all  indescribable  descriptions  are 
dashing  about  the  up-and-down  stony  streets  at  a 
breakneck  pace.  Clattering  milk  carts,  travelling  soda 
fountains,  brewers'  drays,  sociable  rockaways,  and 
solitary  "  sulkies,"  their  owners  perched  up  between 
the  spidery  wheels,  seemingly  seated  on  nothing,  are 
all  rushing  along  pell-mell,  helter-skelter.  The  streets 
are  a  perfect  network  of  rails,  and  huge  red  cars,  blue 
cars,  and  yellow  cars,  with  their  jingling  bells,  cross 
and  recross  at  every  turn.  We  look  out  for  a  collision, 
but  none  comes,  and  we  elbow  our  way  on.  We  are 
jostled  on  one  side  by  a  Polish  Israelite,  in  whom  there 
"  is  no  guile,"  with  a  long  beard  and  high  peaked  hat. 
A  moon-faced  Mexican,  with  long  hair,  golden  earrings, 
and  red  serape,  walks  in  his  shadow.  A  slipshod 
woman,  in  a  grimy,  Oriental  dress,  flits  past  and  dis- 


THE    GOLDEN   CITY.  143 

appears  in  a  dark  alley.  A  South  Sea  islander,  a  New 
Zealand  chief,  and  a  Mongolian  merchant  catch  our 
eyes  among  the  surging  mass  of  European  faces,  and 
the  blue-bloused,  pig-tailed  Chinaman,  with  his  gliding, 
silent  tread,  swarms  everywhere.  He  is  always  busy, 
always  at  work,  carrying  such  weights  as  would  set  a 
donkey  staggering.  He  has  a  long,  hickory  pole  across 
one  shoulder,  and  balancing  at  either  end  are  huge, 
round  baskets  filled  with  goods  of  all  descriptions, 
enough  to  fill  a  waggon,  but  John  carries  the  weight 
easily  enough.  At  the  corner  of  California  Street  we 
come  to  a  dead  stop.  There  stands  a  kind  of  double 
vehicle,  the  foremost  part  being  open,  with  a  canopied 
top,  seats  running  all  round,  and  a  man  in  the  middle 
keeping  solemn  guard  over  a  huge  lever  or  crank.  On 
the  benches  on  either  side  were  seated  some  half-dozen 
people,  facing  outwards,  their  feet  dangling  or  resting 
on  a  narrow  plank  at  their  pleasure.  We  took  our 
places  on  the  front  seat,  faces  set  forward  ;  a  pretty 
balcony  or  wire  lace-work  ran  in  front  of  us  breast 
high.  The  hind  part  was  a  common  omnibus  car,  such 
as  we  are  used  to  see  all  the  world  over.  What  magic 
would  set  the  whole  in  motion  ?  Of  course  we  were 
going  somewhere.  There  were  no  horses,  no  engine, 
no  visible  means  of  propelling  us  forward.  A  newly 
arrived  Mongolian,  seeing  this  strange  vehicle  for  the 
first  time,  eyed  it  curiously,  "  No  pushee,  no  pullee,  no 
horsee,  no  steamee ;  Melican  man  heap  smart."  At  the 
sound  of  a  bell  the  man  turns  the  crank  and  off  we  go, 
flying  in  the  face  of  the  wind  at  the  rate  of  ten  miles 
an  hour.  We  charge  up  one  steep  hill,  then  dash 
down,  and  up  another,  and  so  on  for  about  four  miles. 
Never  was  such  a  delicious  breeze,  such  a  flow  of  fresh, 


144  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

invigorating  air.  Long  lines  of  elegant  houses,  some 
of  distinguished  architectural  grandeur,  with  stately 
palms  lifting  their  grand,  green  heads  like  sentinels  on 
either  side  of  the  entrance  doors,  or  rising  from  the 
smooth-shaven  lawns  embroidered  with  flowers  of 
brilliant  hues,  fly  past  us  on  either  side,  their  peaks 
and  gables  silhouetted  against  the  bright  blue  skies. 
Streets  and  alleys,  some  wide,  some  narrow,  diverge 
and  radiate  from  either  side  of  us.  And  through  this 
vista  of  quaint  habitations,  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  we 
get  such  delicious  bits  of  harbour  and  river  scenery  as 
would  have  delighted  an  artist's  soul.  On  we  go, 
till  we  lose  sight  of  sea  and  river,  and  the  whole 
city  unrolls  itself  beneath  our  feet,  sliding  down  from 
its  hundred  hills,  spreading  in  picturesque  and  pano- 
ramic beauty  on  all  sides  of  us,  till  it  is  lost  in  the 
amethyst  haze  beyond.  Whirled  through  the  air  by 
our  invisible  steeds,  we  look  down  upon  church  spires 
and  steeples,  massive  towers  and  palace  houses,  on 
miles  of  streets,  green  squares,  and  blooming  gardens, 
which  Eve  herself  might  have  revelled  in  and  dreamed 
of  her  paradise  regained.  With  cheeks  aglow,  and 
spirits  buoyant  with  the  delight  of  our  magic  journey, 
we  reached  the  foot  of  Lone  Mountain.  Before  we 
left  our  strange  vehicle,  called  by  the  natives  "  the 
dummy,"  we  ascertained  something  of  its  mysterious 
engineering.  It  is  of  similar  construction  to  that  in 
use  for  a  time  on  the  old  Blackwall  railway  at  home, 
being  propelled  by  an  underground  cable,  which  runs 
along  the  centre  of  the  road  between  the  regular  track 
rails,  and  the  hidden  underground  force  is  controlled 
by  the  crank,  deftly  handled  by  the  official  who  stands 
in  the  middle  of  our  "  dummy." 


THE    GOLDEN    CITY.  145 

We  are  at  the  foot  of  Lone  Mountain,  towering 
high  among  the  surrounding  hills,  with  the  holy  cross 
planted  on  the  top.  It  is  the  loveliest  grave-garden 
in  the  world ;  not  an  echo  reaches  it  from  the  busy, 
bustling  city  below.  Surrounded  by  wild,  widespread- 
ing  uplands  and  undulating  sandhills,  barren,  and  soft, 
and  gray,  with  the  boom  of  the  Pacific  waves  thunder- 
ing among  the  low  foothills,  it  stands  in  isolated 
solitude,  this  beautiful  city  of  the  dead.  There  are 
no  grim  head  and  footstones,  no  tons  of  monumental 
marble  crushing  down  upon  the  helpless  dead,  enough 
to  give  a  ghost  the  nightmare  to  think  of  its  poor 
body  being  buried  under  it.  Here  the  dead  are  really 
laid  to  rest  in  a  veritable  flower-garden.  The  ground 
is  arranged  in  plots,  varying  from  twelve  to  thirty  feet 
square,  and  each  plot  is  owned  by  one  family,  who 
decorate  it  according  to  their  own  fancy.  Every 
family  grave-garden  is  surrounded  by  a  low,  light 
fence,  and  is  entered  through  a  rustic  gate,  and  is 
laid  out  with  narrow,  neatly  gravelled  paths,  a  foot 
wide,  and  borders  and  flower-beds,  some  filled  with 
beautiful  roses,  some  a  mass  of  purple  and  white 
violets,  others  with  different  kinds  of  sweet-smelling 
flowers  of  bright  and  variegated  hues.  Everything 
is  kept  in  perfect  order  ;  not  a  weed  is  to  be  seen. 
Opposite  the  entrance-gate  is  a  small  slab  chronicling 
the  name  of  the  dead  below.  It  is  sometimes  so  hidden 
by  the  luxuriant  growth  of  evergreens  and  flowers  that 
you  have  to  search  to  find  it. 

Here,  in  the  fragrant  and  peaceful  shade  of  this 
fair  garden,  the  old  pioneers,  the  heroes  of  the  strange 
days  of  '49,  the  storm  of  their  turbulent  lives  over,  the 
battle  fought,  the  victory  won — or  lost !  lie  at  rest. 


146  THROUGH    CITIES   AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

THE    OLD    MISSION. 

The  Windmills— The  Golden  Gate  Park— The  Seal   Rock— The 
Cliff  House — The  Mission  Dolores. 

ALEXANDER  wanted  more  worlds  to  conquer.  If  Don 
Quixote  had  sought  for  more  windmills  on  a  general 
tilting-ground,  he  would  have  found  them  here.  They 
are  everywhere.  We  wonder  what  they  are  all  doing. 
It  is  so  unusual  to  see  such  a  world  of  windmills  in 
a  large  city.  Looking  round  from  California  Street 
hills  we  see  scores  of  them ;  they  come  upon  us,  one 
after  the  other,  till  we  forgat  to  count  them.  They 
are  of  all  sorts  and  all  sizes ;  some  short  and  stumpy, 
with  fat  arms,  wheezing  laboriously  as  the  wind  sends 
them  around,  as  though  they  were  working  against 
their  will ;  others  are  tall  and  lanky,  their  long,  gaunt 
arms  whizzing  and  whirring  through  the  air,  always 
hard  at  work  except  when  the  wind  is  still,  and  that  is 
not  often ;  they  are  painted  all  the  colours  of  the  rain- 
bow, and  look  quite  gay  flashing  round  in  the  sunshine. 
Every  house  of  the  slightest  pretensions  has  a  well 
and  waterworks  on  its  own  premises ;  the  windmill 
stands  sentinel  above  them,  and  sends  the  fresh  cool 
stream  through  the  leaden  arteries  of  the  household, 
and  irrigates  and  refreshes  the  land  when  no  rain  is 


THE    OLD   MISSION.  147 

falling  and  the  summer  sun  tries  to  burn  the  green 
verdure  to  tinder,  for  this  is  a  rainless  land  for  six 
months  of  the  year.  During  summer  not  a  drop  falls 
to  moisten  the  parched  face  of  the  earth.  Everything 
is  done  by  artificial  irrigation. 

We  soon  leave  the  city  and  its  windmills  behind 
us,  and  enter  the  Golden  Grate  Park,  where,  a  few 
years  ago,  the  Pacific  waves  were  rolling  ;  but  these 
hundreds  of  acres  have  been  reclaimed  from  the 
sea,  and  are  planted  with  rare  shrubs,  young  trees, 
evergreens,  and  blooming  flowers.  It  is  tastefully 
laid  out,  a  landscape  garden  and  park  in  one ; 
there  are  picturesque  winding  paths  and  shady  nooks 
and  corners  where  you  can  hide  from  the  sun's 
searching  rays,  and,  while  you  listen  to  the  sing- 
ing birds  overhead,  hear  the  boom  of  the  breakers 
on  the  shore  below.  We  pass  through  this  paradise 
of  green  and  reach  a  silent  sea  of  yellow  sandhills, 
smooth  and  soft  as  velvet,  billowing  round  in  graceful, 
undulating  waves  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach;  there 
is  a  sudden  curve,  and  the  wide  Pacific  Sea,  in  all  its 
glory,  lies  before  us  clothed  in  the  sunshine,  its  white 
foam  lips  kissing  the  golden  shore ;  its  long,  level  line 
stretched  against  the  distant  skies.  We  drove  down 
to  it ;  nay,  drove  into  it,  and  watched  its  tiny  waves 
dimpling  into  a  thousand  welcomes  beneath  our  wheels. 
The  sun  and  the  sea  conspired  together  to  fill  the  air 
with  bright  beams  and  balmy  breezes.  We  felt  the 
soft  spray  blowing  in  our  faces,  stirring  our  blood,  and 
setting  our  cheeks  aglow,  and,  as  we  breathed  the 
crisp,  soft  air,  laden  with  three  thousand  miles  of 
iodine,  we  seemed  to  be  taking  a  draught  of  the  elixir 
of  life.  The  full  fascination  of  the  sea  seized  our 


148  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

senses  ;  we  could  not  tear  ourselves  away.  Presently, 
mingling  with  the  monotonous  moaning  of  the  waves, 
we  heard  a  sound  like  the  barking  of  a  kennel  of 
dogs.  Before  us,  rising  out  of  the  sea  about  a  hundred 
yards  from  the  shore,  was  a  picturesque  mass  of  broken 
crags  known  as  the  famous  Seal  Kocks,  whereon  thou- 
sands of  those  sensible  creatures,  from  the  soft  seal 
baby  to  the  barnacled  old  patriarch,  lay  basking  in  the 
sunshine,  barking  their  satisfaction  aloud,  floundering 
about,  rollicking  and  rolling  one  over  the  other,  and 
splashing  into  the  sea,  while  some  stood  solemnly 
on  end  watching  the  fun.  Standing  just  above,  on  a 
steep,  rocky  eminence  which  rises  abruptly  from  the 
shore,  stands  the  Cliff  House,  where  an  excellent  table 
is  always  spread  for  those  who  choose  to  partake  of  the 
good  things  thereon.  It  is  a  favourite  resort  of  the 
good  folk  of  San  Francisco  ;  they  turn  their  backs  upon 
the  noise  and  bustle  of  the  city  and  enjoy  here  perfect 
solitude  ;  they  can  descend  from  the  piazza  some  fifty 
rugged  steps,  and  stroll  along  the  wild  seashore,  un- 
disturbed except  by  the  shriek  of  the  sea-gull  and  the 
barking  of  the  seal  colony  mingling  with  the  soughing 
of  the  wind,  and  the  low,  sullen  roar  of  the  waves ; 
or  saunter  up  and  down  the  piazza,  sipping  their  coffee 
or  smoking  the  beloved  weed,  and  watch  the  great,  red 
sun  sink  like  a  ball  of  fire,  and  drown  itself  in  the 
Pacific  Sea. 

On  our  way  home  we  passed  the  old  Mission  ;  at 
least,  all  that  is  left  of  it,  which  is  not  much — the  mere 
remnants  of  some  redwood  houses  and  the  ancient 
church,  a  quaint-looking,  low-roofed  home  of  desolation, 
with  its  adobe  walls  of  sunbaked  clay  about  four  feet 
thick,  which  promise  to  withstand  the  encroaches  of 


THE    OLD    MISSION.  149 

time  a  century  longer.     A  chime  of  three  bells  still 
hangs  in  three  square  portholes ;  their  long  tongues, 
red  with  rust,  droop  dumb  and  motionless  from  their 
silent  mouths.     Only  a  hundred  years  ago  they  were 
brought  from  Castile,  blessed  by  the  holy  fathers,  and 
brought  here  to  the  edge  of  the  wild  Western  world  to 
ring  out  and  summon  the  heathen  and  the  wanderer 
to  worship  the  one  true  God.     You  enter  the  ruined 
church  through  a  low,  arched  doorway.     The  broken 
font  is  still  there,  but  the  last  drop  of  holy  water  was 
spilled  from  it  long  ago.     The  mullioned  windows  are 
of  a  quaint,  fanlike  shape,  and  the  genial  sun  tries  to 
pierce  through  the  grime  and  dust  and  send  its  beams 
dancing  over  the  crumbling  ruin  within.     The  painted 
wooden   shrines   of  St.  Joseph   and   St.  Francis  (who 
gave  the  settlement  of  Yerba  Buena  the  name  of  San 
Francisco)  are  still  there.     Near  by  are  the  Madonna 
and  Child,  but  the  paint  has  worn  off,  and  they  are  all 
discoloured  and  stained  with  the  damp  wind  and  the  rain 
which  drips,  in  the  rainy  season,  from  the  dilapidated 
roof.     The  crumbling  decorations,  though  they  are  of 
a  rough,  rude  workmanship,  still  bear  the  stamp  of 
artistic  design,  though  crudely  executed   by  unaccus- 
tomed hands,  who  laboured  for  the  love  of  God.     It  is 
about  a  hundred  feet  from  the  threshold  to  the  altar. 
Give  reins  to  your  imagination,  set  it  galloping  back  a 
hundred  years,  and  see  the  priests,  the  white  nuns,  and 
hooded  friars  clustered  round  the  empty  altar  busy  in 
the  service  of  the  Lord ;  the  aisles  filled  with  kneeling 
Indians,  who  know  little  of  the  faith  they  have  adopted 
except  that  there  is  an  unknown  God  somewhere  who 
makes  their  corn  grow,  watches  over  their  lives  here, 
with  a  promise  of  a  life  hereafter  ;  men  from  Mexico, 


150  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

Peru,  and  Spain,  and  wanderers  from  all  along  the 
wild  Pacific  coast  are  standing  reverently  round; 
censers  are  swinging,  lights  are  burning,  and  a  choir 
of  voices  chant  the  Ave  Marias.  A  Christian  host 
gathered  in  that  wilderness  by  the  sea.  Where  are 
they  all  now  ?  Vanished  like  the  children  of  a  dream. 
A  mouldy,  funereal  odour  clings  about  the  ruined 
walls,  and  we  are  glad  to  step  out  into  the  little  grave- 
yard outside,  where  the  English  hawthorn  and  white 
winter  roses  are  blooming  and  the  grass  growing  rich 
and  luxuriant  above  the  moss-grown  graves.  Whole 
tribes  of  Indians  lie  buried  in  the  dust  beneath  our  feet. 
There  is  no  more  desolate  spot  in  the  world  than  a  dis- 
used graveyard.  We  read  strange  unfamiliar  names 
upon  the  broken,  half-buried  stones,  and  crumbling  urns, 
dilapidated  angels,  and  crippled  cherubs  are  tottering 
round  us.  Here  and  there  we  decipher  an  English 
name,  and,  beneath,  the  information  :  "  Died  by  the 
hands  of  the  Y.  0.  ;  "  "In  mercy  we  slay  the  enemies 
of  the  Lord."  The  V.  C.  means  the  Vigilance  Com- 
mittee, who,  in  the  early,  lawless  days,  executed  justice 
swift  and  sure  upon  proven  criminals.  The  strict 
justice  of  their  decisions  was  never  called  in  question. 
A  certain  number  of  men  of  known  integrity  were  in- 
vested with  supreme  power  of  life  or  death,  and  the 
guilt  of  a  man  being  once  fully  assured  he  had  a  brief 
trial  and  swift  execution.  There  was  no  legal  quibbling, 
which  often  lets  loose  some  atrocious  criminal  to  prey 
upon  the  world  again  until,  at  the  end,  he  is  launched 
out  of  it.  Near  the  low,  arched  gateway  stands  the  di- 
lapidated figure  of  a  woman,  her  sightless  eyes  and 
lifted  hands  pointing  upwards — mute  significance  of 
one  hope  for  all  the  miscellaneous  dead. 


THE   OLD   MISSION.  151 

A  fresh  breeze  was  blowing  outside,  but  here  it 
seemed  to  hang  heavy  and  still,  laden  with  the  damp 
odour  of  mouldering  graves,  which  mingled  with  and 
destroyed  the  sweet  scent  of  the  flowers  that  are  flourish- 
ing so  luxuriantly  above  the  dead.     This  was  the  first 
we  had  seen  of  the  many  remnants  of  the  old  mission 
days,  when  the  Spanish  fathers  first  came  to  the  wilder- 
ness to  sow  the  good  seed  and  reap  the  harvest  in  their 
Lord's  name.    About  the  year  1820  the  missions  began 
to  decay,  the  soldiers  were  recalled  from  the  Presidio, 
where  they  had  been  stationed  for  the  protection  of  the 
friars   and   their   property,   and   from   that   time   the 
missions  dwindled,  till   the   fathers  were   recalled   to 
Spain.      They  carried  with  them  all  their  cattle  and 
movable   goods,    and    left    their   buildings   to   decay. 
These  are  scattered  throughout  the  State  of  California, 
wherever   the   fathers   held   temporary   sway.      Still, 
though    they   and   their   labours   have   passed   away, 
and  are  well-nigh  forgotten,  they  have  left  their  traces 
behind  them  :  throughout  the  country  we  find  the  old 
Spanish  names  still  clinging  to  the  soil,  such  as  Santa 
Clara,  Santa   Rosa,   Santa   Barbara,  San   Rafael,  San 
Jose,  Los  Angeles,  Monterey,  Carmelo,  etc.     Mr.  John 
S.  Hittell,  in  his  "  History  of  California,"  has  given  a 
most  interesting  and  graphic  account  of  these  missions, 
their   people,  their   work,  and   their   effect   upon  the 
country  from  their  first  establishment  to  their  decline. 

The  city  has  grown  out  of  the  wilderness,  and 
crowded  so  close  to  the  crumbling  walls  of  the  ruined 
mission  that  as  we  leave  the  gloomy  precincts  we  step 
out  into  the  populous  streets,  which  are  full  of  hurry, 
bustle,  and  vigorous  young  life.  It  is  like  stepping 
from  the  old  century  into  the  new.  Gaily  painted 


152  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

cars  and  omnibuses  are  dashing  up  and  down  the  wide 
Mission  Street,  each  following  the  other  so  quickly 
that  before  you  can  step  into  one  another  is  on  its 
heels. 

As  we  rattle  up  one  street  and  down  another  we 
cannot  help  noticing  the  scarcity  of  shady  trees  in  all 
parts  of  San  Francisco.  People  take  great  pride  in 
their  beautiful  flowers,  their  smooth  velvet  lawns,  and 
stately  palms,  which  lift  their  crowned  heads  on  high, 
their  broad  leaves  drooping  like  blessing  hands  over 
the  household  ;  but  never  a  shady  tree  is  planted  any- 
where. 

Although  the  blissful  shade,  so  highly  prized  and 
so  eagerly  sought  for  in  other  lands,  may  not  be  de- 
sirable here,  where  people  literally  live  in  the  sunshine, 
yet  we  feel  that  the  planting  of  rows  of  leafy,  green 
trees  on  either  side  of  the  streets  would  turn  them  at 
once  into  magnificent  boulevards.  They  could  still 
walk  in  the  sunshine,  but  the  luxuriant  green  would 
be  refreshing  to  the  eye.  The  long  range  of  California 
street  hills  so  planted  would  be  a  paradise  for  the  gods 
to  stroll  in. 


(     153     ) 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SOME    SAN    FRANCISCO    WAYS    AND    CUSTOMS. 

Street  Architecture — Curiosities  of  Climate — Brummagem  Baronets 
—The  Sand  Lot— The  Forty-niners—"  Society  Ladies." 

ROME  stands  on  her  seven  hills ;  San  Francisco  sits 
enthroned  upon  a  hundred.  The  one  is  enjoying 
her  centuries  of  rest  after  her  triumphant  onward 
march  of  a  thousand  years ;  the  other  is  just  awaken- 
ing, like  a  royal  babe  in  swaddling-clothes,  her 
infant  hands  outstretched  to  seize  the  sceptre  she 
will  one  day  wield  as  Empress  of  the  West.  She 
looks  down  upon  scenes  of  surpassing  beauty — wide- 
spreading  hills  and  valleys,  wooded  dells,  and  dark 
pine  forests  reaching  away  till  they  are  lost  in  the 
purple  hills  beyond.  She  is  more  than  half  sur- 
rounded by  water.  Along  the  east  runs  the  beautiful 
blue  bay,  sixty  miles  long,  studded  by  green  or  rocky 
islets,  and  honeycombed  by  smaller  bays,  wherein  lay 
shady  villages  and  thriving  towns.  To  the  north  lies 
the  Golclen  Grate,  opening  out  to  the  glorious  Pacific 
Sea,  whose  white-crested  waves  break  and  boom  like 
muffled  thunder  along  the  sandy  shore,  rushing  onward 
and  bounding  with  its  bright  waters  the  western  part 
of  the  city,  which  has  scarcely  a  level  square  in  the 


154  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

whole  of  it.  It  is  built  in  an  up-and-down,  zigzag 
fashion,  some  of  the  streets  creeping  up  the  hill  side- 
ways like  a  crab ;  some,  such  as  California,  Clay,  and 
Sutter,  dashing  straight  up,  as  though  they  were  in  a 
hurry  to  get  out  of  the  city  and  be  lost  in  the  great 
beyond  ;  while  one  end  of  Montgomery  Street  rushes 
up  the  steep  slope  of  Telegraph  Hill  so'  precipitately 
and  abruptly  that  the  basement  windows  of  one  house 
have  an  excellent  view  of  the  chimney-pots  of  the  next. 
The  houses  are  all  built  of  wood,  to  which  the 
cunning  builder  gives  all  the  massive  appearance  of 
substantial  stone  buildings.  They  are  generally  painted 
white,  sometimes  picked  out  with  drab  or  gray.  The 
fronts  are  always  elaborately  carved,  and  sometimes 
bordered  round  the  windows  with  the  natural  red 
wood  left  unpainted.  This  mass  of  dazzling  white 
houses  gives  the  city  a  wonderfully  brilliant  appear- 
ance, especially  when  seen  from  the  street  hills.  On 
California  Street  hill  are  some  really  palatial  residences, 
the  homes  of  the  railway  and  bonanza  kings.  Some 
are  built  in  the  most  ornamental  style  of  a  kind  of 
mongrel  Gothic,  with  as  many  peaks,  spires,  and  gables 
as  could  be  crowded  into  one  spot,  oddly  shaped 
windows — oval,  oblong,  diamond-shaped,  or  square- 
breaking  out  in  unexpected  places,  variety  of  form 
being  in  every  way  more  considered  than  the  strict 
adherence  to  any  special  form  of  architecture.  If  we 
could  make  a  twelfth  cake  as  large  as  an  island,  and 
stick  one  of  these  special  mansions  on  the  top,  its  airy 
elegance  would  be  the  admiration  of  the  world.  General 
Colton  has  here  a  really  splendid  residence.  A  "  villa  " 
he  modestly  calls  it ;  we  style  it  a  mansion.  It  is  built 
in  the  pure  Italian  style  of  architecture,  elegant  arid 


SOME    SAN    FRANCISCO   WAYS    AND    CUSTOMS.  155 

graceful,  yet  stately  and  imposing  in  its  grand  sim- 
plicity.  It  stands  out  in  striking  contrast  to  the 
decorated  dwellings  on  the  other  side.  Every  man 
who  builds  a  house  lays  "  a  trap  to  catch  a  sunbeam  " 
in  the  form  of  a  bay  window.  They  are  everywhere, 
in  every  street,  and  on  both  sides  of  it.  The  Palace 
Hotel  seems  built  entirely  of  bay  windows  from  its 
base  -to  the  height  of  its  seven  floors.  This  immense 
caravansera  is  honeycombed  with  them,  and  it  has  the 
appearance  of  a  straight  square  mountain  covered  with 
bird-cages.  The  sun  in  other  cities  is  a  luxury  of  life, 
here  it  is  a  necessity.  "  Sunny  suites  "  are  advertised 
and  sought  for  everywhere.  In  other  places  people 
usually  avoid  the  sun,  and  seek  the  shady  side  of  the 
road.  Here  they  bask  like  lizards  in  the  sunshine  ;  it 
is  only  dire  necessity  that  drives  them  into  the  shade. 
There  is  no  scarcity  of  sunshine  either  ;  the  land  is 
flooded  with  it.  Nowhere  is  the  sun  so  bright,  so 
genial,  and  strong,  always  looking  down  with  warm 
friendly  eyes,  never  sending  its  fierce,  fiery  lances 
down  to  sm^te  and  slay  with  their  cruel  stroke.  The 
heat  is  tempered  by  a  cool,  invigorating  breeze,  and 
while  the  sun  inclines  you  to  throw  off  your  seal- 
skin, the  wind  warns  you  to  cling  to  it.  Some  never 
leave  off  their  furs,  others  never  put  them  on.  The 
variations  of  temperature  during  summer  and  winter 
are  so  slight  that  one  style  of  clothing  serves  for  the 
whole  year.  Your  wardrobe  never  suffers  from  an 
irruption.  You  may  meet  a  lady  promenading  in  lace 
and  muslin  in  December,  and  in  velvet  and  furs  in 
June ;  or  in  a  single  walk  through  the  city  you  may 
meet  one  lady  in  the  airiest  of  costumes,  another 
cloaked  and  muffled  up  to  the  chin  ;  one  gentleman  in 


156  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

a  linen  duster,  another  in  a  top-coat.  Nobody  is  ever 
too  warm,  nobody  is  ever  too  cold.  It  seems  like  a 
riddle,  but  you  must  come  here  to  read  it.  Every- 
thing seems  bouleverse,  even  to  the  climate.  There 
is  no  settled  rule  anywhere  or  in  anything ;  it  is  a 
sort  of  "  go-as-you-please "  city.  There  is  a  general 
rush  and  hurry  everywhere,  a  kind  of  picturesque 
lawlessness,  which  is  most  refreshing  to  those  who 
come  from  the  other  side  of  the  world,  where  pro- 
priety always  wears  her  best  bib  and  tucker,  and 
etiquette  in  her  regulation  dress,  tied  with  the  reddest 
of  red  tape,  reigns  supreme,  and  natural  impulse  is 
bound  down  in  the  straitest  of  strait- waistcoats. 
Fashion  is  the  only  tyrant,  the  spoilt  pet  and  ruler 
among  the  ladies,  for  if  a  San  Francisco  lady  is  not  in 
the  fashion  she  is  nowhere.  In  their  desire  to  attain 
to  the  utmost  height  of  that  fickle  goddess  they  some- 
times "  o'erleap  the  selle,  and  fall  on  the  other  side ; " 
but  as  a  rule  they  are  well  and  tastefully  dressed. 
The  gentlemen  are  supremely  indifferent  on  the  sub- 
ject ;  each  dresses  to  please  himself,  and  consults  only 
his  own  individual  comfort  and  convenience,  whereas 
in  most  large  cities,  where  the  sacred  "  chimney-pot " 
prevails,  one  man  is  as  like  another  as  two  peas, 
faultlessly  attired  in  the  same  fashion,  from  the  crown 
of  his  head  to  the  sole  of  his  feet.  Here  it  is  altogether 
different ;  here  are  hats  with  high  crowns,  low  crowns, 
or  no  crowns,  straw,  felt,  willow,  or  wide  Panama; 
gray  suits,  white  suits,  and  blue  suits.  But  the  Cali- 
fornian  proper  is  very  particular  in  his  choice  of  a 
necktie,  which  is  always  of  the  most  brilliant  hue. 
Even  in  Eastern  or  Continental  cities,  where  black 
ties  are  the  rule,  he  will  burst  out  in  gorgeous  colours. 


SOME    SAN   FRANCISCO   WAYS    AND   CUSTOMS.       157 

In  the  evening,  however,  when  he  presents  himself 
before  the  ladies,  the  swallow-tail  coat  is  strictly  de 
rigueur. 

Social  life  flows  on  in  an  easy,  pleasant,  sans  souci 
fashion,  for  the  San  Franciscans  are  a  most  hospitable 
people,  and  are  disposed  to  open  their  hearts  as  well 
as  their  doors  to  their  visitors  from  the  outside  world, 
and  do  all  in  their  power  to  make  their  beautiful  city 
a  home  to  the  passing  stranger.  This  open-hearted 
hospitality  is  sometimes  imposed  upon  by  an  influx  of 
British  baronets,  whose  names  are  unknown  in  their 
native  land,  and  pseudo  lords,  made  up  by  their  tailors, 
whose  names  have  never  figured  in  the  peerage.  Occa- 
sionally these  Brummagem  gentry  dip  their  fingers 
into  the  purse  of  the  open-handed  Californian,  and 
sometimes  make  themselves  too  fatally  agreeable  to  the 
ladies  ;  but  as  a  rule  their  false  pretensions  are  dis- 
covered, and  they  are  quietly  driven  from  the  city, 
before  the  damage  done  is  irreparable.  The  inhabitants 
are  apt  to  give  too  easy  credence  to  a  self-asserting 
class,  who  swagger  about  the  hotels  as  true  gentle- 
folk never  do,  and  whose  brassy  impudence  for  a  time 
passes  as  pure  gold.  But  perhaps  it  is  better  to  be 
sometimes  deceived  than  always  distrustful. 

There  is  no  settled  "  society  "  here,  regarding  the 
subject  from  our  point  of  view.  It  is  impossible  there 
should  be  in  a  country  which  is  in  a  constant  state  of 
fermentation,  fluctuating  from  one  extreme  to  the  other, 
where  the  game  of  speculation  is  being  played  on  all 
sides,  and  everybody  takes  a  hand.  The  cauldron  is 
for  ever  bubbling  and  boiling  over,  and  somebody  goes 
to  the  bad.  Men  and  women  who  have  held  their 
place  in  brilliant  circles  one  year  drop  out  of  it  the 


158  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

next,  and  sink  down  and  are  lost,  no  one  knows  how  or 
where.  The  circle  closes,  and  the  dance  of  life  goes  on. 
Of  course  there  are  many  people  of  wealth  and 
position  who  have  played  a  winning  game,  and  are 
satisfied  now  to  settle  down  and  watch  the  growth 
of  the  beloved  city  they  have  helped  to  make.  Most 
of  the  families  of  culture,  intellect,  and  refinement  are 
those  who  came  there  thirty  years  ago,  when  the  gold 
fever  first  broke  out  and  drew  some  of  the  best  blood 
from  every  land  towards  itself.  And  those  men  and 
women,  too,  who  came  out  in  the  old,  rough  days, 
have  grown  purer,  stronger,  and  better  from  mingling 
with  the  new  life  in  a  new  land.  There  has  been 
no  effete  civilization  here.  Every  man  has  depended 
on  his  own  brains,  his  own  hand  for  his  well-doing, 
It  may  truly  be  said,  in  this  land  above  all  others, 
that  every  man  is  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes. 
Of  course  much  of  the  coarse,  vulgar  element  of  man- 
kind has  swarmed  and  is  still  swarming  into  this 
Golden  State.  Some  regard  it  as  a  sort  of  Tom 
Tiddler's  ground,  where  they  can  run  about  picking 
up  gold  and  silver.  When  they  find  their  mistake, 
and  learn  that  here,  as  elsewhere,  men  must  bring 
labour  of  hand  or  brain  to  the  market  and  pay  in 
full  for  every  crust  they  eat,  they  enrol  themselves 
in  the  noble  army  of  the  unemployed,  parade  the 
streets  in  lazy  battalions,  hold  mass  meetings,  and  howl 
over  their  misfortunes,  shake  their  fists  in  the  face 
of  calamity :  "  Why  can't  they  drink  the  wine  of  life 
and  revel  in  champagne  and  roses  ? "  They  will  do 
anything,  everything,  but  work  for  it.  These  people, 
who  are  not  native  born,  but  are  the  mere  refuse  of  other 
nations,  which  has  rolled  across  the  sea  and  been  flung 


SOME   SAN   FRANCISCO   WAYS   AND   CUSTOMS.        159 

upon  the  shores  of  the  Western  World,  have  won  for 
themselves  the  title  of  Sand-lotters.  They  have  their 
meetings  on  a  vacant  sand-heap  on  the  edge  of  the  town, 
which  is  held  entirely  sacred  to  them,  and  here  they 
bluster,  and  storm,  and  loudly  assert  their  "  rights." 
They  decide  who  is  fit  to  live  and  who  is  fit  to  die. 
Figuratively,  they  hang  the  capitalist  on  his  own 
threshold  and  divide  his  wealth  among  their  worthier 
selves.  If  the  general  atmosphere  were  more  com- 
bustible their  incendiary  speeches  would  set  the  land 
in  flames.  These  people,  though  contemptible  in  them- 
selves, create  a  general  agitation  and  confusion,  drive 
capital  away  from  the  city,  and  have  given  rise  to 
a  general  sense  of  insecurity.  As  a  grain  of  sand  will 
set  all  the  delicate  working  of  a  watch  awry,  so  they 
have  disturbed  the  peace  for  a  while ;  but  it  is  a  storm 
in  a  tea-cup,  that  will  soon  be  over.  The  party  of 
law  and  order  is  firmly  knit  together,  and  dignified 
in  its  silent  strength.  So  long  as  the  dronish  popula- 
tion confines  itself  to  buzzing  and  burring  around, 
carrying  on  a  boisterous  war  of  words  only,  they  keep 
a  dignified  silence ;  but  at  the  first  attempt  to  sting, 
it  will  be  crushed  like  a  wasp.  In  no  other  country 
would  a  foreign  element  be  allowed  to  create  so  much 
disorder.  The  native  population  are  a  peaceful,  law- 
abiding  race.  "  This  is  a  land  of  liberty,"  they  say ; 
but  when  liberty  becomes  license  to  the  vicious,  alas 
for  poor  liberty  ! 

America  is  willing  to  stretch  a  welcoming  hand 
to  all  comers  without  regard  to  creed  or  nationality, 
to  give  land  to  such  as  desire  to  make  a  home  among 
them,  and  a  free  liberal  education  to  their  children, 
to  throw  open  its  offices  of  State  and  General  Govern- 


160  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE   LANDS. 

ment  to  all  candidates  who  are  fit  to  fill  them.  It  is 
large  in  generosity  as  mighty  in  strength,  and  it 
is  a  small  thing  to  ask  that  its  laws  be  kept  and  its 
institutions  respected  by  the  stranger  who  benefits  by 
the  national  hospitality. 

Young  children  must  go  through  certain  physical 
disturbances  before  they  arrive  at  a  state  of  healthy 
maturity,  and  I  suppose  young  States  must  go  through 
similar  mental  distractions  before  they  settle  down  into 
a  dignified  calm.  The  adolescent  State  of  California 
is  no  exception  to  the  rule,  but  it  is  cutting  its  wisdom 
teeth  and  learning  to  comport  itself  with  a  dignity 
befitting  the  great  Union  of  which  it  is  a  part. 

Men  no  longer  carry  their  lives  in  their  hands,  as 
in  the  old  days  of  lawless,  romantic  adventure,  but  I 
am  afraid  a  few  still  secretly  carry  arms  in  their 
pockets,  and  use  them,  perhaps,  upon  small  provoca- 
tion. But  things  are  improving  and  changing  rapidly  ; 
the  people  are  prospering,  and,  the  essentials  of  life 
being  secured,  their  thoughts  and  ambitions  are  soaring 
into  higher  regions.  Civilization,  which,  for  years 
past,  has  been  marching  westward,  subduing  prairies, 
cutting  down  forests,  piercing  mountains,  and  spanning 
rivers,  seems  to  have  ended  her  grand  progress  and, 
for  a  time,  sat  down  to  rest  here  ;  resting,  though 
working  still,  establishing  rule  and  order.  There  are 
no  stagnant  ideas,  no  stereotyped  monotony  here; 
everything  is  full  of  electrical  life ;  people  think,  move, 
and  act  quickly;  they  are  not  content  with  what  is, 
but  look  forward  to  what  shall  be.  This  beautiful 
California — land  of  the  sun,  of  the  palm  and  pine— has 
only  one  chapter  in  its  past,  but  it  is  creating  for  itself 
a  glorious  future. 


SOME    SAN   FRANCISCO    WAYS    AND    CUSTOMS.          161 

Things  happen  here  that  we  cannot  conceive 
happening  in  any  other  city  in  the  world.  Walking 
through  the  streets  one  day,  we  met  a  strange  figure 
carrying  a  parti-coloured  umbrella — red,  white,  and 
blue.  He  was  a  gray-haired,  elderly  man,  dressed  in 
a  faded  military  uniform,  with  tarnished  epaulets,  and 
a  scarlet  feather  in  his  cap.  He  may  be  seen  wander- 
ing through  the  streets  of  the  city  in  all  weathers. 
He  has  been  so  wandering  for  the  last  twenty  years 
or  more.  He  labours  under  the  delusion  that  he  is 
"  Emperor  of  all  the  Americas."  The  people  humour 
him,  and  allow  him  to  indulge  in  that  delusion.  He 
issues  proclamations,  which  are  printed  in  the  news- 
papers, and  posted  at  street  corners.  Sometimes, 
being  in  want  of  twenty  dollars,  he  levies  a  tax  upon 
his  "  loyal  subjects."  Some  wealthy  citizen  answers 
the  demand  at  once ;  he  is  never  denied.  He  dines 
where  he  pleases,  free ;  patronizes  such  places  of 
entertainment  as  he  chooses,  free ;  rides  on  the  cars  or 
on  the  trams,  free ;  indeed,  he  has  the  freedom  of  the 
city  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word.  On  inquiry  we 
learn  the  reason  of  this  general  indulgence.  He  was 
a  mason  and  a  forty-niner,  they  say ;  and  was  ruined 
by  the  great  fire,  when  his  wits  were  shaken,  and  this 
royal  delusion  rose  on  the  wreck  of  his  reason,  and 
the  kindly  people,  in  the  spirit  of  true  camaraderie, 
will  never  let  the  old  man  want. 

Here  is  another  anecdote  characteristic  of  San 
Francisco  kindliness,  being  the  history  in  brief  of 
Bummer  and  Lazarus  (the  names  being  descriptive 
of  the  habits  of  one  dog,  and  the  appearance  of 
the  other,  on  his  first  entrance  into  public  life). 
"  Bummer  "  was  a  big  dog,  a  vagabond  much  beloved 


162  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

of  the  town,  who  could  not  be  coaxed  into  civilized 
ways.  He  disdained  to  live  in  a  house,  or  to  serve  one 
master.  He  was  a  kind  of  canine  tramp,  who  lived  by 
his  wits.  Like  the  Emperor,  he  too  enjoyed  the 
hospitality  of  the  city.  Lazarus  was  a  little  mangy 
cur,  thin,  sickly,  and  half-starved.  One  day  some 
other  dogs  attacked  poor,  miserable  little  Lazarus. 
Bummer,  perhaps  moved  by  kindred  feelings — the 
assailants  being  household  property,  and  Lazarus  a 
tramp  like  himself — plunged  into  the  fray  to  the 
rescue  of  Lazarus. 

From  that  day  the  two  wanderers  were  a  canine 
Damon  and  Pythias.  They  became  well  known  in  the 
city.  Lazarus  looked  starved  and  sickly  no  longer. 
Bummer  introduced  him  to  his  own  chosen  haunts. 
They  went  together  to  such  restaurants  as  they  chose 
to  honour,  and  dined  gratis.  Messrs.  Bummer  and 
Lazarus  were  always  welcome,  and  never  sent  hungry 
away.  It  was  observed  that  the  big  dog  always  gave 
his  small  companion  a  full  share  of  the  delicacies  of 
the  season.  When  an  Act  was  passed  commanding 
all  dogs  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco  to  be  muzzled, 
a  clause  was  made  exempting  "  Bummer  and  Lazarus." 
However,  their  time  came.  Bummer  died  one  day  ; 
Lazarus  was  found  dead  by  his  side  on  the  next.  An 
old  resident  of  the  city  who  knew  the  dogs  well,  and 
had  fed  them  many  a  time,  told  me  this  story.  They 
are  stuffed  now,  and  have  their  place  among  the  many 
mementoes  of  "  old  days  " — old  in  the  space  of  thirty 
years. 

Only  the  healthy  and  the  strong  keep  their  grip  on 
the  land,  and  these,  the  early  pioneers  of  the  State, 
form  the  most  delightful  society  in  San  Francisco. 


SOME    SAN   FRANCISCO    WAYS    AND    CUSTOMS.          163 

Their  homes  are  the  abode  of  elegance  and  refinement. 
We  are  sometimes  disposed  to  wonder  how  all  this 
culture  has  reached  this  far-away  land, — the  "  Wild 
West "  we  call  it, — wild  now  in  nothing  but  its  natural 
attractions  ;  in  no  country  in  the  world  are  there  more 
luxurious,  happy  homes  than  here  in  San  Francisco. 
Those  who  are  in  a  position  and  have  the  power  to 
entertain  their  friends,  do  so  with  genial  cordiality. 
Some  have  one  evening  in  the  week,  some  another  ; 
there  is  no  set  formality;  but  we  meet  with  the 
gracious  courtesy  of  the  Old  World  warmed  by  the 
hearty  whole-souled  welcome  of  the  New.  Those  who 
have  the  power  to  indulge  their  aesthetic  fancies  gather 
about  them  all  that  is  beautiful  in  the  way  of  art  that 
can  attract  and  satisfy  the  most  artistic  taste. 

The  home  of  one  lady  is  at  this  moment  present  to 
my  mind's  eye.     She  has  travelled  over  the  world,  and 
brought  back  with  her  some  perfect  gems  in  the  way 
of  bric-a-brac,   paintings,  and  sculpture.      There   are 
among  them  two  exquisite  marble  statues,  both  unique 
in  conception  and  excellent  in  execution.     The  one  is 
"  Delilah,"  a  grand,  grim  piece  of  workmanship  ;   the 
other,    the    more    poetical     and    sympathetic    "  Lost 
Pleiad ; "  the  yearning,  searching  look  upon  her  face 
reaches  the  heart,  and  we  wish  we  could  help  her  find 
her  way  home.     Here  it  has  been  our  good  fortune  to 
fall  in  with  some  of  the  "  Forty-niners,"  as  all  who  came 
over  in  that  year  are  called.     Many  may  have  come 
over   adventuring   earlier  or  later.;    no  matter,   they 
have  no  distinguishing  title  to  chronicle  their  advent. 
Only  the  "  Forty-niners  "  are  regarded  as  the  original 
pioneers.     Their  numbers  are  lessening  day  by  day  ; 
but  a  few  are  now  remaining,  and  they  are  all  a  fine, 


164  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

stalwart  race  of  men,  with  no  signs  of  age  or  decay, 
some  with  delicate  poetical  faces,  which  it  is  difficult  to 
associate  with  the  rude  times  we  know  they  have 
passed  through ;  they  have  grown  gray  with  the 
passing  years,  but  not  old  ;  they  look  as  though  they 
could  brace  themselves  together  and  do  their  work 
over  again.  In  this  electric  air  age  seems  chary  of 
advancing ;  youth  blooms  long  after  it  would  have 
perished  elsewhere.  The  perennial  springtime  in 
earth  and  air  seems  to  have  communicated  itself  to  the 
lives  of  men.  They  are  full  of  anecdote,  and  brimming 
over  with  the  romance  and  stirring  adventure  of 
bygone  days,  and  proud  of  their  beautiful  city,  too ;  as 
well  they  may  be.  They  have  watched  it  grow  stone 
by  stone,  street  by  street,  and  have  helped  to  make 
it  what  it  is.  They  found  it  a  heap  of  hovels  and 
sandhills,  and  when  they  are  carried  to  their  graves 
in  Lone  Mountain,  they  will  leave  it  the  fairest  and 
loveliest  city  in  the  world. 

In  addition  to  these  pleasant  gatherings,  San  Fran- 
cisco frequently  breaks  out  into  grander  gaieties,  and 
entertains  her  hundreds  in  the  most  magnificent 
fashion.  Society  sounds  her  trumpet,  and  her  armies 
gather  round  her  in  gorgeous  array,  when  frivolity  and 
fashion  hold  high  revels  for  a  season.  There  is  no 
genial  sociability  then ;  it  is  all  gaslight,  music,  roses, 
and  champagne.  Gentlefolk  are  divided  into  two 
classes,  "  society  ladies,"  and  ladies  pure  and  simple. 
The  u  society  lady  "  has  her  dresses  chronicled  in  all 
the  public  papers ;  whole  columns  are  devoted  to  the 
description  of  dresses.  To  all  the  Pacific  coast  is  made 
known  the  important  fact  that  the  young  and  beautiful 
Miss  So-and-so  wore  pink  silk  trimmed  with  point- 


SOME    SAX    FRANCISCO    WAYS    AND    CUSTOMS.         165 

lace,  while  the  lovely  Miss  Such-a-one  wore  pea-green 
and  apple  blossoms,  her  stately  mamma  appearing  in 
imperial  velvet  and  rubies.  And  so  on.  Woe  be  to 
the  audacious  damsel  who  dares  to  appear  in  the  same 
dress  twice  running !  Everybody  knows  all  about  it, 
and  the  cost  of  every  yard  of  satin  or  inch  of  lace 
is  catalogued  in  the  feminine  mind.  And  woe  be  to 
the  simple  toilet  which  will  not  do  credit  to  the 
reporter's  pen  !  The  girls  all  wonder  how  their  dresses 
will  look  in  print,  and  to  that  end  select  them.  Here 
a  noble  course  of  ruin  begins — so  far,  at  least,  as  an 
extravagant  woman  can  ruin  a  man,  and  we  all  know 
how  much  she  can  do  towards  it.  There  are  some- 
times more  dollars  on  a  woman's  back  than  remain 
in  her  husband's  pocket. 

It  is  a  pernicious  habit,  this  advertising  business, 
and  brings  to  the  surface  the  smaller,  meaner  passions 
of  the  female  nature.  There  are  numbers  who  would 
gladly  break  from  this  iron  rule  of  custom,  but  they 
either  have  not  the  courage  to  strike  the  first  blow 
or  are  borne  down  by  the  great  majority  on  the  other 
side.  But  things  here,  as  elsewhere,  will  right  them- 
selves in  time. 


166  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    FLOWERY   KINGDOM. 

A  Visit  to  Chinatown — Its  General  Aspect — A  Tempting  Display 
— Barbers'  Shops — A  Chinese  Kestaurant — Their  Joss  House 
—Their  Gods. 

IT  is  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  we  start  for  an 
investigating  ramble  through  Chinatown.  Time  was 
when  men  went  over  "  the  sea  in  ships  "  when  they 
desired  to  visit  the  celestial  land ;  now  they  can  go 
there  and  back  in  an  hour,  and  not  travel  on  telegraph 
wires  either.  The  mountain  has  come  to  Mahomet, 
and  deposited  its  load  in  the  very  heart  of  the  "  Golden 
City." 

Kearney  Street  is  brilliantly  lighted,  the  shops  are 
temptingly  arrayed  in  their  best  wares,  and  a  well- 
dressed  world  of  men  and  women  are  strolling  up  and 
down,  chatting,  laughing,  bargaining,  and  buying. 
We  watch  the  California  Street  dummy  charge  up  the 
hill  with  its  last  load  of  passengers,  its  red  fiery  eye 
blazing  boldly  on  us  as  it  drops  down  the  other  side 
of  the  hill,  and  is  lost  to  sight.  We  feel  quite  at  home 
here,  though  we  are  eight  thousand  miles  away  from 
our  native  shores.  A  sudden  turn  out  of  the  bustling 
thoroughfare,  a  few  steps  forward,  and  we  know  we  are 


THE    FLOWERY    KINGDOM.  167 

in  a  foreign  land.  We  are  escorted  by  a  private  friend 
and  a  police  detective,  without  whose  protective  pre- 
sence it  would  not  be  safe  to  venture  into  those  dingy 
courts  and  alleys  which  lie  festering  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  "  Flowery  Kingdom."  We  keep  close  to  our 
escorts ;  we  feel  that  we  have  stepped  beyond  the 
bounds  of  civilization,  and  are  surrounded  by  a  subtle 
element  utterly  foreign  and  inimical  to  our  own.  We 
are  in  the  city  of  the  idolatrous  heathen,  in  whose 
sight  our  Christian  civilization  is  an  abomination  and 
a  snare.  Pig-tailed,  blue-bloused  Celestials  swarm  in 
the  roadway  and  on  the  sidewalks.  They  surge  round 
us  with  their  silent,  stealthy  tread.  At  the  sight  of 
our  escort's  face,  or  the  sound  of  his  voice,  they  slink 
away  and  are  gone  like  shadows.  The  streets  are 
dimly  lighted  ;  the  gas  does  not  blaze,  it  blinks  behind 
its  glasses,  but  the  big  white  moon  gives  light  enough 
for  us  to  see  the  cheap  gaudy  magnificence  around  us. 
We  are  passing  the  Joss  house.  It  flaunts  its  scarlet 
streamers  overhead,  and  flanks  its  doors  with  legends 
in  saffron  and  gold.  Within  is  a  glitter  of  tinsel,  a 
subdued  light,  and  the  flicker  of  a  tiny  lamp  before 
some  figure  of  barbaric  ugliness.  The  air  floats  out 
loaded  with  the  fumes  of  smoking  sandal-wood  and 
strange  odours  from  the  East.  The  doors  are  open, 
but  we  do  not  enter  yet.  We  stroll  up  the  street, 
taking  an  exterior  view  before  we  penetrate  to  the 
interior.  Coloured  lanterns  are  strung  along  some  of 
the  balconies,  or  hang  from  the  windows.  Red  and 
black  signs  in  crooked  characters  are  everywhere,  and 
from  all  sides  resounds  the  echo,  it  seems,  of  a  hundred 
unknown  tongues.  The  slant-eyed  pagans  leer  at  us 
curiously  as  they  pass  to  and  fro.  They  bear  us 


168  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

"  white  devils "  no  good  will,  if  we  read  their  looks 
aright.  Lights  stream  from  cellar  flaps,  creep  through 
open  doors  and  window  chinks,  but  the  shops  are 
only  lighted  by  a  succession  of  dingy  oil  lamps.  Dis- 
cordant noises  of  rasping  fiddles,  gongs,  and  sundry 
unknown  tuneless  instruments  mingle  with  the  clatter 
of  strange  tongues.  The  very  laughter  comes  to  us 
jangled  and  out  of  tune,  and  the  air  is  filled  with 
odours  the  reverse  of  sweet.  Mouldy  fruits,  wilted 
vegetables,  stale  fish,  too  long  divorced  from  its  native 
element,  all  mingle  in  one  common  and  most  un- 
savoury scent. 

The  Chinese  shops  make  no  endeavour  to  attract 
the  eye  or  tempt  the  appetite  of  the  Celestial 
horde.  But,  perhaps,  what  seems  to  us  a  disgusting 
display  may  seem  to  them  a  tempting  sight.  The 
butcher,  who  is  a  general  merchant  as  well,  sells  Joss 
sticks,  teapots,  tobacco,  and  scores  of  other  things. 
He  flanks  his  door  on  either  side  with  the  carcass  of 
huge  slaughtered  hogs.  They  are  not  quartered  and 
jointed  in  Christian  fashion,  but  are  hacked,  and  hewn, 
and  torn  asunder  just  as  the  meat  is  wanted,  and 
present  a  mangled,  shapeless  mass,  sickening  to  look 
at.  Split  chickens  and  fowls  are  flattened  out  like 
sheets  of  paper,  and  nailed  against  the  wall.  Delicate 
titbits,  steeped  in  oil  and  dried,  are  strung  up  and 
hung  like  cherry  bob  across  the  windows,  and  scores 
of  oily  cakes,  like  lumps  of  yellow  soap,  are  laid  on 
benches.  Lumps  of  delight  they  are  in  Celestial  eyes, 
judging  by  the  lingering  glances  they  cast  thereon. 
The  shops  are  very  dingy  and  dark  inside,  and  those 
which  are  not  devoted  to  the  sale  of  eatables  have  a 
spicy,  pungent  odour  everywhere,  no  matter  what 


THE    FLOWERY   KINGDOM.  169 

articles  of  merchandise  they  sell.  We  went  into  two 
or  three  shops  in  search  of  some  special  article  which 
we  might  carry  away  as  a  souvenir  of  our  visit,  but 
could  find  nothing  but  cheap,  tawdry  Jrash,  beryl 
bracelets,  bead  necklaces,  tiny  cups  and  saucers,  etc. 
There  was  no  brilliant  display  of  gold  embroideries, 
vases,  and  Oriental  magnificence,  which  characterizes 
our  Chinese  shops  at  home.  The  Chinese  merchant 
sits  in  silent  state  behind  his  counter,  watching  our 
every  moment  with  his  stealthy  almond  eyes.  He 
makes  no  attempt  to  force  his  wares  upon  us  ;  indeed, 
he  seems  sublimely  indifferent  whether  we  buy  or  not. 
His  long,  shapely  hands  are  folded  before  him  as  he 
sits  on  his  high  stool  serene  and  dignified,  while  we 
peer  curiously  about,  examining  anything  that  catches 
our  eye.  We  see  nothing  we  care  to  purchase,  so 
make  a  smiling  apology  for  our  intrusion,  and  he  bows 
us  out  with  courteous  but  most  majestic  silence. 

We  pass  on  our  way,  look  down  the  cellar  flaps, 
and  see  the  barbers  at  work  in  their  underground 
shops.  Within  a  radius  of  half  a  mile  there  are  no 
less  than  fifty  of  these  places,  devoted  to  the  cleansing 
and  decoration  of  the  Mongolian  head.  You  may 
glance  down  these  steps  at  any  hour  of  the  day  or 
night  and  you  will  see  the  operators  busy  at  their 
tonsorial  labour.  Never  was  such  clean  shaving,  such 
delicate  cleansing  of  eyes,  ears,  and  nostrils,  such  trim- 
ming and  pencilling  of  brows  and  lashes,  such  a 
scraping  and  polishing  of  oily  faces,  such  a  plaiting 
of  the  beloved  and  sacred  pigtail,  and  the  Celestial 
pagan  issues  from  the  hands  of  the  barber  a  proud  and 
happy  man,  the  perfect  ideal  of  a  Chinese  beau ;  every 
inch  above  his  shoulders  is  scraped  and  polished  to 


170  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

perfection.  This  luxurious  treatment  which  he  receives 
at  the  hands  of  his  barber  is  a  law  among  the  followers 
of  Confucius.  The  Chinaman  feels  the  necessity  of 
frequent  rejuvenation  under  the  razors,  probes,  and 
pencils  of  the  barber,  who  is  one  of  the  best  employed 
and  most  important  persons  in  the  community.  The 
almond-eyed  pagan  is  never  seen  without  his  pigtail ; 
the  loss  of  it  is  considered  the  greatest  calamity  that 
can  befall  him.  When  he  is  engaged  in  his  household 
work  he  winds  his  pigtail  round  his  head  in  the  fashion 
of  a  Grecian  knot. 

Our  next  visit  was  to  a  Chinese  restaurant,  which 
is  patronized  by  the  wealthier  as  well  as  the  lower 
order  of  that  peculiar  people.  The  ground-floor  is  a 
kind  of  general  utility  store  for  the  sale  of  miscel- 
laneous comestibles.  Bright,  blue-bloused  little  China 
boys,  their  pigtails  just  sprouting,  are  squatting  on 
the  floors,  cutting  and  chopping  up  meat  and  vege- 
tables. In  the  kitchen,  a  few  steps  above,  the  cooks 
are  busily  at  work  preparing  the  unsavoury  savoury 
feast  for  the  hungry  horde  who  are  presently  expected 
to  supper.  Beef  or  mutton  is  rarely  if  ever  used  in 
their  culinary  operations.  Pork,  rats,  rabbits,  geese, 
or  fowls  form  the  staple  part  of  their  substantial  food, 
but  these  are  never  eaten  in  their  natural  simplicity ; 
they  are  disguised  and  minced,  and  mixed  with  spices, 
vegetables,  entrails,  oil,  and  rancid  butter,  sometimes 
stewed,  and  sometimes  being  rolled  in  a  thin  wafery 
crust  of  paste.  We  saw  plenty  of  these  arranged  for 
frying,  like  sausages  in  disguise.  There  is  a  greasy 
oleaginous  look  about  everything,  a  smell  like  rusty 
bacon  everywhere.  A  culinary  war  was  being  carried 
on  in  the  kitchen,  the  pots  and  pans  were  specially 


THE    FLOWERY   KINGDOM.  171 

clean   and   bright,   the   cooks   went   clattering   round 
lifting  lids  and  stirring  one  thing  after  another,  and 
handing  us  a  long  iron  spoon  hospitably  invited  us 
to  dip  in  and  taste,  assuring  us  it  was  "  velly  good," 
which  invitation  I  need  not  say  we  courteously  refused. 
A  few  steps  higher  on  the  first  floor  is  the  dining-room 
or  grand  saloon,  which  is  only  used  by  the  wealthy 
merchants.     It  is  furnished  with  very  dark   walnut, 
with  quaint  ebony  carvings  of  birds,  curious  beasts, 
and  flowers,  all  beautifully  executed,  and  worthy  of  a 
better  place.     The  tables  and  chairs  were  of  the  same 
heavy  dark  material.     The  room  was  divided  in  two 
by  a  wide  archway.     There  was  an  alcove  on  one  side 
for  musicians,  and  all  kinds  of  queer,  quaint  musical 
instruments,    some    twisted    like   serpents,  some   like 
grotesque,  misshapen  guitars,  were  hung  against  the 
wall.     Lacquered   cabinets   and   tea-trays,    with    tiny 
covered  cups  and  saucers,  and  hideous  bronze  orna- 
ments, were  scattered  around.     Rich  tapestried  hang- 
ings were  draped  across  the  windows,  and  the  wide 
balcony  was  filled  with  flowers,  and  a  string  of  lighted 
lanterns  were  hung  over  the  outside  railings.     On  one 
side  of  the  room,  about  two  feet  from  the  ground,  was 
a  raised  platform  covered  with  matting  and  cushions, 
a  block  of  wood  in  the  centre  to  hold  a  lamp.     Thither 
the  luxurious  Mongolian  retires  to  smoke  the  inevitable 
opium  when  the  feast  is  over.     At  the  entrance-door 
of  all  eating-rooms  stands  a  bowl  of  chop-sticks ;  each 
guest  as  he  enters  supplies  himself  with  a  pair.     The 
floor  above  is  arranged  in  a  simpler,  rougher  fashion 
for  an  inferior  class  of  visitors.     The  floor  above  that 
is  simpler  and  rougher  still.     And  so  the  grade  goes 
upward,  and  so  does  the  tea.     The  real,  fine,  aromatic 


172  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

herb,  in  all  perfection,  is  served  on  the  first  floor; 
water  is  added  to  the  leaves  (for  they  are  an  economical 
race),  and  served  on  the  second  ;  more  water  for  the 
third.  And  so  on,  till  a  decoction  of  damaged  water 
is  served  to  the  lowest,  albeit  the  highest  class  of 
guests,  for  the  poorer  class  here  mount  heavenward  so 
far  as  this  earth  is  concerned. 

Laundries  abound,  though  they  are  by  no  means 
confined  to  Chinatown.  They  are  found  in  all  quarters 
of  San  Francisco.  Sometimes  the  Chinese  laundry 
is  a  mere  wooden  shed,  wedged  in  between  tall  houses, 
or  standing  in  some  out-of-the-way  nook,  where 
you  would  hardly  think  of  pitching  a  pigsty.  We 
passed  some  of  these  rickety  places,  the  white  linen 
drying  on  the  roofs,  flapping  to  and  fro  in  a  weird,, 
ghastly  fashion  in  the  moonlight.  The  work  is  carried 
on  by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  for  these  moon-eyed 
Mongolians  are  a  most  industrious  race,  and  in  their 
economy  of  time  and  space  a  double  set  of  workmen 
occupy  a  single  room,  and  labour  in  relays.  When  the 
day-labourer  retires  to  his  shelf  the  night-worker  rises 
from  it,  and  carries  on  the  business  till  the  morning ; 
so  the  fire  is  never  out,  and  the  starching,  ironing, 
plaiting,  and  pleating  is  always  going  on.  Passing 
through  the  streets  of  San  Francisco  at  any  hour  of  the 
night  you  see  the  faint  glimmer  of  the  laundry-lamp 
flickering  through  the  dingy  window-panes. 

We  next  turned  into  one  of  their  many  Joss  houses, 
where  the  worship  of  their  hideous  idols  was  in  full 
swing.  We  ascended  a  dingy,  dirty  staircase  and 
entered  a  large  room  on  the  first  floor,  which  was 
furnished  with  gods  and  altars  of  all  descriptions. 
Crowds  of  worshippers  were  passing  to  and  fro,  now  in 


THE   FLOWERY   KINGDOM.  173 

!  single  file,  now  in  battalions  ;    some   were   smoking, 
|  some  were  conversing  in  their  low,  liquid  language 
I  one  with  another.     One  jerked  his  head  with  a  kind  of 
f  familiar   nod,   which    was    meant    for    a    reverential 
j  obeisance  to  a  specially  ugly  deity.     Another   threw 
I  a  stick  into  the  air  in  front  of  the  altar,  and  according 
I  to  the  way  it  pointed  as  it  fell  his  prayer  would  be 
|  granted   or   not.     I    do  not  know  whether  Joss  was 
propitious,  but  his  worshipper  picked  up  the  stick  and 
retreated  downstairs.     There  was  certainly  no  estab- 
lished set  form  in  this  religious  business;  but  I  suppose 
I  there   must  on  occasions  be  some  special  ceremonials 
when  priests  are  needed,  for  two  or  three  of  them, 
dressed  in  the  fashion  of  stage  heralds,  came  out  from  a 
little  back  room,  stared  at  us,  and  retreated,  closing 
the  door  behind  them.     The  worshippers  passed  in  and 
out,  and  to  and  fro  among  their  gods  with  perfect  non- 
chalance.    There  was  neither  reverence,  nor  supersti- 
tious awe,  nor  fanatical  devotion  visible  among  them. 
What  seemed  to  be  their  favourite,  judging  from  the 
number  of  his  worshippers,  was  a  huge  monster  like  an 
immense  painted  wooden  doll,  with  flaming  vermilion 
cheeks,  and  round  black  eyes  starting  from  his  head. 
He  was  dressed  in  wooden  robes  of  the  gaudiest,  strongly 
contrasted   colours,    and   surrounded    by  all   kinds  of 
tinselled  magnificence,  in  the  way  of  gilt  paper,  arti- 
ficial wreaths,  and  wax   roses  as   large   as   cabbages, 
while  standing  before  him  on  the  altar  was  a  bowl  of 
ashes  stuck  full  of  Joss  sticks,  some  burnt  out,  some  still 
smouldering,  the  offering  of  later  worshippers. 

The  altar  is  of  ivory,  and  is  exquisitely  carved  and 
gilt.  It  illustrates  the  history  of  some  great  battle  which 
was  fought  two  thousand  years  ago.  It  is  protected, 


174         THROUGH:  CITIES  AND  PRAIRIE  LANDS. 

and  so  partly  hidden,  by  a  wire  network.     There  are 
sundry  other  smaller  altars  and  idols  in  the  same  room. 
Some  are  distorted  libels  on  the  human  form  divine ; 
others  are  grotesque  representations  of  birds,  beasts,  or 
reptiles   held   sacred   by   the    Chinese;    some   are   of 
bronze,  or  of  brass,  and  some  of  painted  wood.     There 
are  no   seats,  and  the  floor  is  thickly  sprinkled  with 
sawdust.     The  walls  are  hung  with  scarlet  and  blue 
paper  prayers  and  gilt  thanksgivings.     Among  these 
was  an  advertisement,  which  our  guide  translated  toi 
us.     It  was  the  offer  of  a  reward,  not  for  the  discovery 
of  a  murderer,  but  a  reward  for  the  committal  of  a 
murder.      Ah  Fooh   and  Wong  Ah   had  roused  the 
anger  of  the  great  Joss,  who  promises  to  grant  the 
prayers  and  take  into  special  favour  him  who  will  put 
the  obnoxious  Ah  Fooh  and  Wong  Ah  out  of  the  way ; 
viz.  the  gods  will  favour  him  who  commits  the  crimes, 
which  are  no  crimes  when  the  gods  command  their 
committal.      Our  guide  informed  us  that  the  objection- 
able  parties    would    assuredly   "  disappear,"   no    one 
would  know  how,  or  when,  or  where.     Such  murders 
are  never  discovered.     The  Celestials  hold  their  secrets 
close,  and  it  rarely  happens  that  one  will  bear  evidence 
against  another  in  our  courts  of  law.     If  he  does,  well, 
it  is  likely  enough  he  "  disappears  "  too.     They  care 
nothing  for  our  laws  and  customs,  and  have  a  supreme 
contempt  for  our  legal  institutions.     They  have  their 
exits  and  their  entrances,  their  lotteries,  their  imports, 
exports,  diversions,  secret  tribunals,  and  punishments 
of  which    we   know   nothing.     They   are   under   the 
surveillance  and  rule  of  the  Six  Companies,  who  hold 
supreme  authority  over  them.     They  have  laws  within 
our  laws,  which  are  to   us  as  a  sealed  book.     They 


THE   FLOWERY   KINGDOM.  175 

rarely,  if  ever,  appeal  to  the  United  States  authorities 
for  the  settlement  of  their  difficulties.  If  they  do  the 
judgment  is  sure  to  be  reversed  in  their  own  courts, 
the  prosecutor  is  tried  and  punished  by  the  secret 
tribunal,  and  the  whole  affair  is  shrouded  in  a  mystery 
that  the  outside  world  can  never  penetrate. 

We  passed  from  this  large  and  most  important 
chamber  through  a  nest  of  dingy,  dirty  rooms,  each 
presided  over  by  a  god  or  goddess  more  or  less 
hideously  grotesque,  and  lighted  only  by  a  tiny  glass 
lamp,  which  hangs  before  every  shrine,  and  is  kept 
burning  night  and  day.  Each  has  a  bronze  bowl  of 
Joss  sticks  burning  in  his  or  her  honour,  filling  the  air 
with  smoky,  stifling  incense.  Lying  about  on  sundry 
email  tables  are  miniature  copies  of  their  ugly  idols, 
and  tiny  curiosities  in  the  shape  of  birds,  beasts,  and 
fishes,  all  part  and  parcel  of  Chinese  mythology.  There 
were  some  superb  china  vases  (which  would  make  the 
eyes  of  the  collector  twinkle),  filled  with  tawdry  paper 
flowers,  standing  here  and  there  among  Joss  sticks  and 
split  bamboos,  sometimes  used  in  the  interpretation  or 
divination  of  the  will  of  the  gods.  Brummagem  de- 
corations and  tinselled  magnificence  abound  every- 
where. In  one  room  was  a  curious  adobe  oven.  We 
wondered  whether  it  was  used  to  bake  Christians  or 
purify  the  heathen,  but  we  learned  that  it  was  used  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  year  when  Satan  is  symbolically 
;  burned,  he  being  represented  on  the  occasion  by  torn 
1  strips  of  red  paper,  which  have  been  appropriately 
•i  cursed  and  sentenced  by  the  priesthood.  The  smaller 
gods  had  fewer  worshippers,  and  it  was  strange  to 
observe  there  was  not  a  single  woman  among  them. 
Perhaps,  having  no  souls  to  be  saved  in  the  next 


176  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

world,  they  have  grown  weary  of  praying  for  the  good 
things  of  this.  In  every  room,  great  and  small,  there 
is  a  rough  wooden  structure  like  a  very  tall  stool. 
Within  it  hangs  a  bell,  and  above  it  either  a  gong  or  a 
big  drum.  These  are  used  to  rouse  the  drowsy  gods 
from  their  slumbers,  or  to  attract  their  attention  when 
they  have  been  too  long  forgetful  of  the  desires  of  their 
devotees.  Wherever  we  went  a  crowd  of  these  olive- 
skinned,  pig-tailed  figures  gathered  silently  as  shadows 
about  us,  staring  at  us  with  their  melancholy,  ex- 
pressionless eyes.  The  Chinese  seem  all  to  be  made 
on  one  pattern.  They  have  all  the  same  serenity  of 
face,  of  gait,  and  manner ;  their  features  never  stir, 
their  eyes  never  vary,  they  never  gesticulate,  are  never 
excited  :  only  the  meaningless  smile  that  is  "  childlike 
and  bland "  occasionally  creeps  over  their  faces.  The 
more  we  see  of  these  strange,  passionless  people,  the 
stranger  they  seem  to  us,  and  we  more  fully  recognize 
that  they  are  an  utterly  alien  race,  whom  we  can  never 
comprehend.  Looking  on  their  sphinxlike  faces  we 
wonder  what  feelings,  what  human  passions,  what 
emotions,  lie  hidden  beneath  them.  We  might  as  well 
try  to  solve  the  riddle  of  the  Sphinx's  self.  But  in 
spite  of  their  impassibility  we  feel  that  the  barbarous 
element  is  there,  steady,  strong,  and  cruel.  The 
Chinese  are  a  puzzle,  which  the  subtlest  minds  have 
failed  to  piece  together.  California  has  a  hard  nut  to 
crack,  and  I  fear  it  will  break  its  teeth  before  it  gets  to 
the  kernel. 


(     177    ) 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A   WORLD   UNDERGROUND. 

The   Pawnbroker's    Shop — The    Opium   Dens — The   Smokers — A 
World  within  a  World — The  Women's  Quarters. 

WE  were  rather  tired  of  our  night's  wandering,  but  as 
we  did  not  desire  to  encroach  upon  the  kindness  of  our 
guide  by  occupying  his  time  on  another  evening,  we 
resolved  to  see  all  that  was  to  be  seen  at  once ;  we 
therefore  retired  to  a  restaurant  for  a  temporary  rest 
and  refreshed  ourselves  with  tiny  cups  of  tea.  Neither 
milk  nor  sugar  is  served  with  this  refreshment ;  only  a 
grape  or  raisin  is  swimming  in  the  liquid  amber,  which 
has  a  delicious  flavour,  quite  different  from  the  finest 
Chinese  tea  imported  for  European  consumption.  Our 
escort  endeavoured  to  dissuade  us  from  farther  pene- 
tration into  the  mysteries  of  Chinatown,  as  he  feared 
we  might  be  shocked  at  the  sights  and  scenes  there  ; 
but  we  had  left  our  nerves  at  home,  so  girding  on  our 
mental  armour,  we  sallied  forth  again. 

We  turned  into  Sacramento  Street,  and  descended 
one  of  those  cellar  flaps,  where  the  barber  was  still  busy 
with  his  tonsorial  operations.  We  passed  through  his 
pigtailed  congregation  of  customers,  some  of  whom 
looked  as  though  they  sorely  needed  combing,  and 


178  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

found  ourselves  in  a  dingy  pawnbroker's  shop,  lighted 
by  a  single  oil  lamp,  and  certainly  not  more  than 
twelve  feet  square  ;  but  every  nook  and  corner,  hole 
and  crevice,  from  floor  to  ceiling,  was  crammed  with  a 
miscellaneous  collection  of  unredeemed  pledges.  There 
were  clocks,  caps,  quaint  Chinese  ornaments  in  great 
variety,  which  the  collector  might  search  the  civilized 
world  for  in  vain  ;  firearms  and  pistols  of  all  patterns 
and  all  ages  (most  of  them,  we  were  informed,  were 
loaded)  ;  daggers  and  knives  without  end  ;  among 
them  was  the  curious  fan-shaped  stiletto,  which  may 
be  carried  in  the  hand  by  a  lady  without  rousing  a 
suspicion  as  to  its  real  use,  for  when  sheathed  it  re- 
presents a  closed  fan ;  some  of  the  knives,  their 
favourite  weapons  in  social  and  street  warfare,  are 
short  and  broad,  some  long  and  narrow ;  the  most 
formidable  are  about  a  foot  long  and  six  inches  wide  ; 
these  are  used  in  pairs,  one  in  each  hand.  Our  escort 
informed  us  that  with  these  implements  he  had  known 
one  belligerent  Chinaman  slash  another  into  an  un- 
recognizable mass  in  less  than  five  minutes.  Besides 
these  there  were  beds,  bedding,  divers  articles  of 
clothing,  cooking  pots  and  brass  pans  ;  in  fact,  every- 
thing except  the  sacred  pigtail,  without  which  a  China- 
man can  hope  for  no  honour  in  this  world  nor  any  glory 
in  the  next. 

Through  this,  we  stooped  our  heads  and  passed 
under  a  low  doorway  into  a  black  hole — I  can  describe 
it  in  no  other  way — where  there  was  a  bin  for  ashes  or 
kitchen  refuse  and  a  heap  of  battered  pots  and  pans  ; 
a  wooden  bench  or  stool,  black  with  grime,  a  few 
wooden  bowls  and  chopsticks,  while  sundry  bits  of  rag 
hung  on  a  line  over  our  heads.  A  coolie  was  crouch- 


A   WORLD   UNDERGROUND.  179 

ing  over  the  fire  in  one  corner,  stirring  some  horrible 
compound  with  a  long  wooden  spoon.  The  fire 
sputtered  and  sent  forth  feeble  flame  flashes  and  dense 
volumes  of  smoke,  through  which  the  swarthy  form  of 
the  crouching  coolie  loomed  upon  our  sight  like  the 
evil  genie  of  some  Arabian  tale.  This  was  a  kitchen ! 
There  was  no  chimney,  no  window,  no  drainage.  And 
in  this  foul  den  scores  of  hungry  Celestials  would  come 
presently  to  feed.  From  this  we  entered  a  labyrinth 
of  galleries,  running  in  all  directions.  On  either 
side  were  rows  of  small  chambers,  honeycombed  with 
an  economy  of  space  that  outwits  the  invention  of  the 
white  man  altogether.  The  majority  of  these  are  just 
long  enough  to  lie  down  in,  and  broad  enough  for  a 
narrow  door  to  open  between  the  two  beds  of  straw, 
each  of  which  contains  two  sleepers.  On  reaching  the 
end  of  this  gallery,  we  were  informed  that  it  was  a 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  long.  There  is  no  ventilation, 
and  not  a  breath  of  air  enters,  except  from  the  cellar 
through  which  we  entered,  and  even  that  comes  filtered 
through  the  barber's  and  pawnbroker's  shops  before 
alluded  to. 

We  gladly  return  to  the  fresh  air,  but  only  for  a 
moment's  breathing-space  before  descending  to  still 
deeper  depths.  The  very  bowels  of  the  earth,  it  seems, 
are  riddled  and  honeycombed  by  these  human  moles, 
who,  like  the  ghost  of  the  murdered  Dane,  can  "  work 
in  the  dark."-  We  light  a  candle,  which  burns  but 
feebly  in  the  subterranean  darkness  of  this  double 
night.  We  thread  our  way  single  file,  keeping  always 
within  an  inch  of  our  escort's  coat-tail,  and  descend 
into  these  lower  regions.  Here  in  the  heart  of  a  city 
filled  with  light  and  beauty,  we  find  ourselves  groping 


180  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

our  way  two  storeys  underground  by  the  light  of  a 
tallow  candle !  Through  dingy  courts  and  alleys,  up 
steps  and  down  steps,  round  corners,  and  up  or  down 
zigzag  stairways,  we  explore  the  mysteries  of  China- 
town. It  is  as  dark  as  Erebus  ;  only  the  light  of  our 
one  solitary  dip  flickers  in  our  eyes ;  we  feel  as  though 
there  is  something  weird  and  ghastly  clinging  to  our- 
selves, for  our  voices  have  a  smothered,  hollow  sound, 
even  to  our  own  ears.  No  one  really  knows  how  far 
these  human  gophers  have  burrowed  underground ; 
they  wander,  it  seems,  from  one  living  grave  to  an- 
other ;  perhaps  to  avoid  taxation,  the  assassin,  or  the 
grip  of  the  law.  It  is  a  dismal  city  of  refuge  for  lost 
souls. 

If  Dante  could  have  cast  his  sorrowful  eyes  into 
these  dark  regions,  he  would  have  found  here  an 
appalling  reality  which  outstrips  the  imaginary  horrors 
with  which  he  has  illustrated  his  Inferno.  We  gather 
up  our  skirts  and  pick  our  way  slowly,  for  the  ground 
is  slippery  with  Heaven  knows  what,  and  the  walls 
are  reeking  with  black  slime,  the  odour  is  horrible, 
and  everywhere  there  is  an  accumulation  of  filth  which 
ought  to  breed  fever  and  death,  but  does  not.  We 
suddenly  turn  into  another  of  these  narrow  galleries ; 
on  either  side  are  mangy-looking  curtains,  some  par- 
tially closed,  some  open  ;  the  ceiling  is  so  low  we  can 
almost  touch  it  standing  on  tiptoe,  yet  on  either  side 
there  are  two  tiers  of  hard  wooden  boards,  divided  by 
a  slight  partition  into  sections,  each  being  large  enough 
for  two  occupants,  and  every  bunk  is  full.  This  is  one 
of  the  numerous  opium  dens.  Some  are  preparing  the 
enchanting  poison — a  tedious  process,  which  reminds 
one  of  an  incantation  scene ;  the  two  lie  face  to  face, 


A    WORLD    UNDERGROUND.  181 

chatting  in  low  voices,  a  look  of  delicious  anticipation 
glowing  in  every  feature ;  they  recline  at  full  length, 
their  heads  reposing  upon  blocks  of  wood  or  roughly 
improvised  straw  pillows  ;  a  small  lamp  flickers  be- 
tween them ;  their  long  pipes  are  of  bamboo  cane ; 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  stem  is  an  earthen  bowl ;  a 
jar  of  opium,  a  kind  of  thick,  black  paste,  stands  close 
to  the  lamp  ;  the  smokers  dip  a  wire  into  this  paste  and 
then  hold  it  in  the  flame  till  the  particles  of  paste 
which  cling  to  it  fizzes  and  bubbles ;  it  is  then  de- 
posited on  the  rim  of  the  pipe-bowl,  and  the  smoker 
at  once  inhales  three  or  four  whiffs,  which  empties  the 
pipe,  and  the  process  of  refilling  is  renewed.  It  is 
evidently  a  labour  of  love  with  them,  for  their  eyes 
glisten  and  gloat  upon  the  bubbling  drug.  They  take 
no  heed  of  us ;  we  are  mere  mortals,  they  are  far 
on  the  road  to  paradise.  Their  talk  grows  gradually 
less  and  less,  feebler  and  feebler  ;  their  low  laughter 
has  a  delirious  sound ;  their  eyes  are  filled  with  a 
dreamy  light,  but  their  lips  are  glued  to  that  magic 
tube ;  they  are  rapidly  floating  away  to  a  land  we 
know  not  of;  their  fingers  relax  their  hold;  they  sink 
back  upon  their  pillows  and  are  suddenly  silent ;  their 
dusky  faces  ashen  pale,  having  the  look  of  some  plague- 
stricken  corpse :  this  one  pair  of  opium-smokers  repre- 
sents the  many.  We  drop  the  curtain  and  pass  on, 
making  our  observations  as  we  go.  Some  have  had 
their  delirious  dream  and  are  sluggishly  stirring, 
slowly  awakening  back  to  life,  and  with  wan,  haggard 
faces  stagger  out  of  the  dingy  den  into  open  day  ; 
some  flit  past  us  like  ghostly  shadows,  wandering 
through  the  shades  of  Hades ;  they  glide  along  shrink- 
ing against  the  wall,  and  stare  at  us  with  lack-lustre 


182  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

eyes,  mere  spectres  of  humanity,  not  humanity  itself. 
But  when  such  men  as  William  Blair,  Richard  Baxter, 
De  Quincey,  Coleridge,  and  others  become  victims  to 
the  habit  of  opium-eating,  .what  wonder  is  it  that  an 
enslaved  and  degraded  race  should  rush  into  a  tem- 
porary world  of  dreams  and  enjoy  its  delirious  delights, 
little  heeding  of  the  thraldom  eternal  and  immutable 
which  will  follow  their  awakening  ? 

This  terrible  drug  (which,  for  a  time,  fills  the  brain 
with  feverish  dreams  of  ecstatic  delight,  but  is  the  sure 
forerunner  of  unimaginable  horrors  and  agonizing 
death)  lies  within  the  reach  of  all.  One  of  the  most 
celebrated  opium-eaters  tells  us  that  "  happiness  may 
be  bought  for  a  penny  and  carried  in  the  waistcoat 
pocket,  portable  ecstasies  may  be  had  corked  up  in 
a  pint  bottle,  and  peace  of  mind  may  be  sent  out  in 
gallons  by  the  mail-coach."  In  some  parts  of  India 
opium  is  taken  by  the  criminal  condemned  to  death.  If 
he  can  only  get  his  brain  filled  with  opium  fumes  he 
may  be  said  to  die  happy.  We  grope  our  way  through 
this  Inferno,  obscured  by  the  dense  smoke  of  the 
poisonous  drug,  and  are  glad  to  breathe  the  fresh  air  of 
heaven  once  more. 

Then  we  pass  on  to  the  women's  quarter.  The 
Chinese  rarely,  very  rarely  bring  their  wives  or 
families  across  the  water ;  but  they  import  large 
numbers  of  female  slaves  of  the  most  degraded  class, 
and  for  the  most  immoral  purposes.  These  poor 
creatures  have  no  sense  of  degradation,  no  knowledge 
of  morality,  they  but  fulfil  the  condition  they  are  born 
to.  So  loosely,  indeed,  are  social  and  domestic  ties 
held  by  these  people,  that  if  a  wife  displeases  her 
husband,  or  a  child  her  parent,  they  have  the  right, 


A    WORLD    UNDERGROUND.  183 

and  frequently  exercise  it,  too,  to  sell  either  one  or 
other  to  some  trafficker  in  human  kind,  and  take  the 
profits  as  in  any  other  mercantile  transaction.  A 
sense  of  dignity  or  family  pride  prevents  the  higher 
class  of  Chinese  from  entering  into  this  sale  or  barter 
business.  They  have  other  ways  of  disposing  of  their 
surplus  womankind. 

We  entered  a  long  narrow  court  with  tall,  dark 
houses  on  either  side,  so  tall  they  seemed  to  shut  out 
the  skies ;    but  in  this   confined   space  are   domiciled 
twelve  hundred  of  these  females  slaves,  for  slaves  they 
are  still,  though  sojourning  in  a  free  land,  and  by  the 
law  free  agents,  but  the  law  is  powerless  to  reach  them. 
They  are  held  in  bondage  by  their  own  people  and  by 
the  laws  of  their  own  nation,  which  no  good  Celestial, 
especially  a  woman,  would  dare  to  call  in  question. 
They  have  no  thought  of  any  higher  state.     If,  by 
chance,  as  sometimes,  though  rarely  happens,  a  creditor 
appeals  to  the  United  States  law  to  settle  his  affairs,  no 
matter  what  decision  is  given  it  is  sure  to  be  set  aside 
by  their  own  tribunal,  and  the  prosecutor  has  reason  to 
bewail  his  temerity  in  daring  to  appeal  to  any  other. 
In  all  cases,  whether  of  murder  or  lesser  criminalities 
among    themselves,   they    are   examined,    tried,   con- 
demned, and  their  punishment,  be  it  torture  or  death, 
is  carried   out   by  their   own   secret   tribunal,  whose 
laws  are  to  us  a  sealed  book,  and  whose  councils  here 
are  held  in  some   hidden  underground  spot  that  we 
know  not  of. 

We  picked  our  way  through  the  dingy,  deserted 
court,  for  though  it  was  the  women's  quarter,  there 
was  not  a  woman  to  be  seen.  Some  were  evidently 
indulging  in  social  festivities,  for  the  sound  of  the 


184  THROUGH   CITIES   AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

gong,  rasping  fiddles,  and  screeching  voices  broke 
upon  the  silence  of  the  night.  Shadowy  forms,  like 
creatures  from  another  world,  stole  by  us  with  their 
noiseless  tread  and  disappeared  in  the  doorways  on 
either  side.  We  grope  our  way  along  by  the  light  of 
our  one  solitary  dip,  and  become  suddenly  aware  of  a 
dim  light  falling  across  our  pathway.  We  look  round 
and  observe  an  open  grating  about  a  foot  square,  and 
framed  therein  is  the  face  of  a  Chinese  belle.  There 
she  is  precisely  as  we  see  her  on  our  fans  and  tea-trays, 
her  hair  dressed  in  wings  or  fancy  rolls  and  pinned 
with  gilt  pins,  and  profusely  decorated  with  paper 
flowers  of  various  colours,  one  half  of  her  face  being 
painted  a  bright  vermilion  in  one  blotch,  beginning 
from  the  chin,  covering  the  eyebrows,  and  reaching  back 
to  the  ear.  On  either  side  were  the  same  gratings, 
with  the  same  painted  beauties  behind  them. 

We  went  our  way  through  the  silent  moonlight 
with  a  strange,  weird  feeling  falling  over  us,  as  though 
we  had  been  wandering  in  dreamland,  or  living 
through  the  misty  pages  of  the  "  Arabian  Nights." 


(     185     ) 


CHAPTER  XYIII. 

CHINESE    AMUSEMENTS. 

Gambling  Dens — Theatres — An  Acrobatic  Performance — New 
Year's  Visits— The  Bride— The  Hoodlum— A  Scare— The 
Matron's  Pretty  Feet. 

GAMBLING  is  another  of  the  favourite  vices  of  the 
Chinese,  and  is  popularly  indulged  in  by  all  classes, 
though  it  is  strictly  forbidden  by  the  United  States 
laws ;  but  the  evasion  of  legal  authority  is  mere  child's 
play  to  them.  These  numerous  gambling  dens  are  so 
carefully  guarded  that  only  the  private  police  (some  of 
whom,  I  am  told,  are  in  the  pay  of  the  Celestial 
authorities,  and  when  gold  dust  is  thrown  in  the  eyes 
who  can  help  blinking  ?)  can  ferret  them  out,  and  only 
then  on  rare  occasions  and  with  great  difficulty. 

So  great  is  their  passion  for  games  of  chance  that 
they  will  sell  or  pledge  anything  to  obtain  the  means 
to  indulge  in  it.  Not  only  are  cards,  dice,  and  domi- 
noes used,  but  straws,  sticks,  brass  rings,  etc.,  are 
thrown  upon  a  table,  or  on  a  mat  upon  the  ground, 
while  silent,  eager  faces  crowd  round,  and  the  fate  of 
the  players  literally  hangs  upon  a  breath.  There  are 
a  hundred  of  these  establishments  under  the  eyes  of 
the  police.  Some  of  them  employ  private  spies  to 
warn  them  in  case  of  danger  ;  but  these  places  are 


186  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

seldom  raided  by  the  police,  for  they  know  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  storm  the  barriers  in  time  to  catch  de- 
linquents in  the  act.     On  the  first  sign  of  danger  a 
warning  signal  is  sounded  throughout  the  building, 
and  a  sudden  change  seems  to  take  place  in  the  ground 
plan ;  passages  are  shut  off ;  the  pursuer,  rushing  along 
the  winding  ways  he  thought  he  knew,  finds  himself  in 
a   blind  alley ;    a  mysterious  sliding-panel  takes   the 
place  of  a  door,  or  -he  rushes  into  the  suspected  cham- 
ber,— he  is  fooled  again  !     He  finds  nothing  there,  only 
a  harmless    Celestial,  smiling  and  bland,  most  inno- 
cently employed  making  a  cup  of  tea  !     Every  sign  of 
guilt  is  swept  away.     The  arch  hypocrite  knew  the 
enemy  was  coming  long  before  he  had  time  to  appear. 
Dramatic  performances,  too,  are  a  passion  with  the 
Chinese.      In  a  space  of  half  a  mile  there  are  no  less 
than  four   theatres,  though   there  is   nothing  to  dis- 
tinguish these  places  of  amusement  from  the  general 
run  of  houses  except  the  scarlet  hieroglyphics  which  are 
pasted  on  the  doorposts  and  a  row  of  paper  lanterns 
over  the  doorway  ;  sometimes  a  flag  flutters  from  the 
balcony.     A  discordant   din   of  gongs,  tin  trumpets, 
and    squeaking   fiddles  wanders   out   into   the   street. 
Celestial   economy   of    space   follows    us    even    here. 
Within  a  few  feet  of  the  entrance  door  a  moon-faced 
Mongolian    sits  receiving   custom,  fifty  cents  for  ad- 
mission  the   beginning   of  the   evening,   the    charge 
dwindling  down  to  five  cents  as  the  hours  roll  on.     A 
paper  curtain  was  lifted  aside,  we  ascended  a  flight  of 
dirty  stairs,  and  were  at  once  ushered  into  our  box, 
which  had  been  previously  secured  for  us  ;  once  seated 
therein,  we  proceeded  to  survey  the  scene  at  our  leisure. 
The  house  was  crowded  from  floor  to   rafter.      It  is 


CHINESE    AMUSEMENTS.  187 

divided  into  two  parts,  tHe  pit  or  parquette,  which 
slopes  upward  from  the  footlights  to  the  back  of  the 
house ;  above  that  is  a  gallery,  which  extends  over 
and  seems  ready  to  fall  on  the  heads  of  those  below,  and 
rises  steadily  backwards  till  the  last  row  of  Mongolian 
heads  seems  to  touch  the  ceiling.  On  one  side  are 
three  private  boxes,  if  they  can  be  called  private,  for 
they  are  simply  partitioned  off,  breast  high,  from  the 
rest  of  the  gallery ;  these  are  reserved  for  the  use  of  the 
more  distinguished  visitors.  On  the  opposite  side  a 
similar  portion  of  the  gallery  is  partitioned  off  for  the 
use  of  the  women,  for  even  in  this  (the  only  recreation 
the  poor  creatures  seem  to  have)  they  are  not  allowed 
to  participate  with  their  lords  and  masters.  The  par- 
titions in  all  cases  are  so  low  that  every  one  is  in  full 
view  of  the  rest  of  the  house.  There  is  no  attempt  at 
ornamentation  anywhere  ;  the  walls  are  whitewashed  ; 
benches,  etc.,  are  all  of  the  roughest  description.  The 
stage  is  merely  a  raised  platform,  with  a  few  wooden 
steps  on  either  side,  up  and  down  which  actors  and 
audience  are  constantly  passing ;  there  is  no  scenery, 
no  decoration  of  any  kind.  The  musicians  are  seated 
at  the  back  of  the  stage,  and  on  either  side  is  a  cur- 
tained doorway,  through  which  the  entrances  and 
exits  are  made.  No  drop-scene  falls  between  the  acts, 
and  there  is  no  attempt  at  realization  anywhere  ;  no 
regard  is  paid  to  the  fitness  of  things.  Say  there  is  a 
wedding,  a  battle,  and  a  death ;  the  priestly  cortege 
walks  out  at  one  door,  the  warriors  enter  at  another, 
each  whirling  one  leg  as  he  leaps  from  an  imaginary 
horse ;  there  is  a  tremendous  uproar  and  they  dash  at 
once  into  the  fray.  The  musicians  in  the  background 
are  pounding  away  at  their  discordant  instruments, 


188  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

each  making  as  much  noise  as  lie  can  with  no  regard 
whatever  to  rule  or  rhythm,  while  one  invincible  hero 
with  a  pasteboard  sword  keeps  a  whole  army  at  bay. 
He  slays  them  by  scores,  but  as  fast  as  they  are  slain 
they  get  up,  run  round  to  the  back,  and  begin  the 
fight  over  again.  At  last  the  hero  is  overpowered ;  a 
hundred  swords  pierce  him  to  the  heart,  he  is  trampled 
on,  and  he  goes  through  all  the  contortions  of  a 
horrible  death ;  then  gets  up,  smiles,  nods  at  the 
audience,  and  conquerors  and  conquered  crowd  off  the 
stage  together. 

At  the  moment  we  entered  a  battle  royal  was  going 
on ;  the  noise  was  deafening ;  we  had  been  warned  of 
this,  and  plugged  our  ears  with  cotton-wool,  but  that 
was  slight  protection  ;  the  waves  of  sound  struck  upon 
the  drums  of  our  ears  till  our  brains  seemed  to  feel  the 
blows,  and  our  heads  ached  distractedly. 

It  was  a  strange  sight — that  mass  of  shaven  faces, 
their  slant  eyes  fixed  with  intense  earnestness  on  the 
stage,  revelling  with  solemn  delight  in  the  ludicrous 
performance.  They  never  applaud,  they  never  con- 
demn;  but  sit  stolidly  smoking.  The  women,  too, 
indulge  in  the  fragrant  weed,  and  largely  patronize 
the  seller  of  sugar-cane  and  sweetmeats,  who  stalks 
about  the  house  with  a  basketful  of  these  dainties  on 
his  head,  but  makes  no  sound,  utters  no  invitation 
to  buy.  The  battle  was  succeeded  by  a  domestic  dis- 
turbance of  the  most  uncelestial  character  ;  the  wife 
ran  about  the  stage  screeching  like  a  wild  cat,  her 
indignant  lord  pursuing  her  with  furious  threats  and 
grimaces,  leaping  over  invisible  chairs  and  tables. 
At  last  a  window  was  brought  in  ;  she  rushed  behind 
it,  and  so  made  an  imaginary  escape  from  his  fury ; 


•    CHINESE    AMUSEMENTS.  189 

being  so  far  safe,  she  leant  out,  Juliet-fashion,  he 
making  frantic  attempts  to  get  at  her  ;  and  they 
rehearsed  their  difficulties  with  an  accompaniment  of 
gongs  and  fiddles,  their  screeching  voices  reminding 
us  forcibly  of  a  wrangling  duet  between  two  irate  tom- 
cats on  the  back  tiles.  This  was  succeeded  by  a  half- 
military,  half-acrobatic  performance.  First  a  warrior 
entered  with  a  wild  moustache  and  grey-green  beard, 
marvellous  to  behold  ;  his  nose  and  ears  were  painted 
white,  with  black  rolling  eyes,  and  altogether  a  most 
ferocious  aspect.  He  flung  his  sword  up  in  the  air, 
whirled  round  on  one*  leg,  shook  his  fist  menacingly, 
as  though  defying  some  one  to  mortal  combat.  His 
challenge  was  accepted.  A  score  of  warriors  entered, 
surrounded  him,  shook  their  swords,  and  rushed  about 
as  though  in  the  fury  of  battle.  Soon  their  arms  were 
flung  aside.  They  had  evidently  changed  their  minds, 
and  the  warfare  resolved  itself  into  an  acrobatic  display. 
They  twirled  round  like  dancing  dervishes,  leapt  into 
the  air,  made  two  or  three  somersaults,  rolled  themselves 
into  balls,  fell  and  rebounded  from  the  floor  like  india- 
rubber.  They  turned  like  wheels  upon  the  ground,  or 
spun  like  tops  in  the  air.  So  rapid  were  their  move- 
ments the  eye  could  scarcely  follow  them.  One  weird, 
half-naked  figure,  with  his  face  and  body  painted  in 
stripes  of  different  colours,  went  through  the  most  won- 
derful contortions.  He  tied  his  legs  round  his  neck, 
leaped  high  in  the  air  and  came  down  upon  his  elbows, 
walked  on  his  head  without  the  use  of  arms  or  legs, 
rolled  himself  into  a  knot  and  flung  himself  into  the 
air.  Having  gone  through  sundry  other  evolutions 
too  complicated  to  mention — indeed,  having  done 
everything  but  turn  himself  inside  out — he  left  off. 


190  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

These  performances  are  supposed  to  lighten  and 
vary  the  dramatic  representation,  which  generally  lasts 
six  or  eight  weeks,  giving  two  or  three  acts  every  night. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  Chinese  New  Year,  which 
fell  in  early  February,  we  accompanied  a  friend  to  pay 
a  ceremonious  visit  to  some  wealthy  Chinese  merchants, 
with  whom  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  transacting 
business.  It  was  a  general  visiting  day,  when  every- 
body belonging  to  the  flowery  kingdom  called  on 
everybody  else.  All  the  streets  in  Chinatown  were 
gaily  decorated  with  flowers,  flags,  and  paper  lanterns ; 
gongs  were  beating,  cymbals  clashing,  and  fiddles 
scraping  in  every  direction;  the  streets -were  thronged 
with  moon-faced  Celestials  in  gala  dress,  all  pricked 
out  and  polished  fresh  from  the  hands  of  the  barber. 

Our  first  visit  was  to  Ki  Chow,  one  of  the  leading 
merchants  of  San  Francisco.  We  descended  from  the 
street,  as  usual,  and  found  ourselves  in  a  large  cellar 
filled  with  benches  and  forms  ;  a  fire  was  burning  in  one 
corner,  where  cooking  was  being  carried  on.  This  was 
where  Ki  Chow's  employes  fed.  Leading  out  of  this  was 
his  private  apartment,  which  contained  a  few  rough 
wooden  seats,  a  worm-eaten  desk,  and  two  tables,  fur- 
nished on  this  occasion  with  an  elaborately  chased  silver 
service,  goblets,  tankards,  etc.,  and  a  display  of  cut  glass 
of  rare  antique  shapes,  ornamented  with  gold  and  crim- 
son ;  decanters  filled  with  choice  wines,  trays  and 
filigree  baskets  with  cakes  and  sweetmeats.  On  one 
table  was  a  hideous  figure  of  a  favourite  Joss,  before 
whom  a  light  was  burning.  Sweets,  wines,  and  other 
good  things  were  placed  before  him  for  his  godship's 
special  entertainment.  The  liberal  and  dainty  display 
on  the  other  non-illuminated  table  was  for  our  mortal 


CHINESE   AMUSEMENTS.  191 

gratification.  We  were  compelled  by  Chinese  etiquette 
to  take  a  tiny  toy  glass  of  wine,  which  we  cautiously 
sipped,  it  being  a  foreign  production,  and  as  our  host 
informed  us,  "  velly  stlong  "  ;  it  was  rich,  luscious,  and 
of  a  peculiar  flavour.  "  It  velly  good,  it  made  of  lice," 
said  Ki  Chow,  the  loss  of  the  unpronounceable  "  r  "  in 
this  case  giving  the  announcement  a  peculiar  cha- 
racter. He  next  passed  round  tiny  blue  willow- 
patterned  plates,  containing  cake  covered  with  red 
cabalistic  characters,  dried  fruits,  nuts,  candied  water- 
melon, and  numerous  unknown  uninviting  compounds 
of  a  gelatinous  nature.  The  fruits  and  candies  were 
very  good ;  the  oily  cakes  we  could  not  bring  ourselves 
to  touch.  Ki  Chow  invited  us  into  the  cellar  adjoining, 
which  was  his  bedroom ;  it  contained  a  bed  with 
silken  hangings,  chairs,  and  a  table  decorated  with  a 
vase  of  blooming  flowers,  which  seemed  sorely  out  of 
place  in  this  dingy  stifling  nook,  lighted  only,  like  a 
prison,  from  a  grating  along  the  top.  Ki's  wardrobe 
was  strung  up  on  a  line  overhead.  He  was  evidently 
proud  of  his  bachelor  quarters.  He  nodded,  smiled, 
and  volunteered  the  information— 

"  Me  have  tlee  wives,  all  gone  back  to  China ; 
when  they  here,  me  have  big  house." 

On  our  expressing  a  desire  to  see  a  Chinese  lady, 
he  offered  to  present  us  to  a  friend  who  had  lately 
married  and  brought  his  wife  to  San  Francisco.  We 
accepted  the  invitation,  and  accompanied  him  io  Wong 
How's  forthwith.  It  was  a  large  roomy  house  in 
Sacramento  Street ;  the  entrance-door  was  on  the  latch 
as  usual,  and  we  ascended  a  flight  of  cleanly  swept 
stairs  to  the  first  floor  ;  one  tap  at  the  door  and  it  was 
opened  by  a  most  majestic-looking  Chinese  gentleman, 


192  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

very  handsomely  dressed  in  blue  silk  and  gold  em- 
broidery. 

He  received  us  with  high-bred  courtesy,  with  a 
layer  of  formality  on  the  top  of  his  politeness  ;  he  spoke 
in  the  purest  English  we  had  heard  from  Mongolian 
lips.  This  apartment  was  very  handsomely  furnished, 
with  quaintly  carved  ebony  chairs,  and  lounges  and 
tables  beautifully  inlaid  in  the  finest  style  of  Chinese 
art,  some  with  gold  filigree,  others  with  ivory  or 
tortoise-shell,  and  the  windows  were  draped  with 
curtains  of  gorgeously  embroidered  silk.  Here,  too, 
were  tables  spread,  one  for  the  god,  one  for  the  visitors. 

We  had  scarcely  seated  ourselves  when  other 
visitors  began  to  arrive  in  quick  succession,  one  after 
the  other,  and  host  and  guests  salaamed  and  saluted 
each  other  in  true  Oriental  fashion,  lifting  the  two 
hands  to  their  foreheads,  and  bending  lower  and  lower 
till  their  heads  almost  touched  the  ground ;  then 
followed  handshaking,  and  a  babble  of  soft,  liquid 
tongues,  evidently  exchanging  cordial  good  wishes. 
We  inquired  for  the  lady. 

"  Oh !  she  come  plesently  ;  she  flightened ;  me 
only  mallied  tlee  months,  and  she  never  seen  no  more 
man  but  me  ;  to-day  she  bling  coffee  and  sweets  for 
evelybody ;  it  is  our  custom  fol  a  wife  to  wait  on  her 
husband's  fliends  once  in  evely  year ;  she  never  see 
man  other  times." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  poor  little  bride  entered, 
bearing  a  silver  tray  filled  with  little  cups  of  the 
national  beverage.  She  was  gorgeously  dressed  in 
pink  silk,  trimmed  with  silver  embroidery,  interspersed 
with  pearls,  her  hair  bowed  and  puffed,  and  decorated 
with  pins  and  flowers,  according  to  the  fashion  of  her 


CHINESE    AMUSEMENTS.  193 

people.  She  was  leaning  on  two  waiting-maids,  who 
had  much  ado  to  support  her  tottering  steps  between 
them.  She  was  painful ly  shy,  and  trembled,  so  that 
the  cups  and  saucers  rattled  on  the  tray,  and  kept  her 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground,  trying  to  screen  her  face 
with  a  large  feather  fan ;  but  we  could  see  her  lips 
quiver,  and  the  deep  blushes  that  dyed  her  face  and 
neck  contrasted  with  the  red  paint  upon  her  cheeks. 
We  compassionated  her  distress  too  much  to  keep  her 
long  under  our  gaze,  and  having  received  our  empty 
cups  upon  the  tray,  she  was  scurrying  off  in  a  great 
hurry  to  get  out  of  sight,  but  was  somewhat  harshly 
recalled  by  her  lord,  and  more  dead  than  alive,  blushing 
and  trembling  more  than  before,  she  dragged  herself 
across  the  room  to  serve  her  master's  friends  as  any 
other  slave  would  have  done. 

"  She  velly  pletty,"  remarked  Wong  How  con- 
fidentially to  me,  as  the  poor  creature  shuffled  off  the 
scene.  Of  course  we  contributed  our  share  of  admi- 
ration, and  her  owner  coolly  said  :  "  Me  got  two  more 
like  that  in  China." 

We  were  the  only  Europeans  present,  and  while  we 
were  gathering  scraps  of  information  from  our  host, 
the  door  opened  and  some  rakish-looking  young  hood- 
lums, the  special  production  of  San  Francisco,  being 
a  cross  between  the  French  gamin  and  the  English 
rough,  half  entered  the  room,  exclaiming  with  a  jaunty, 
patronizing  air — 

"  How  are  you,  John  ?  We've  come  to  pay  you  a 
morning  call ;  hope  you're  glad  to  see  us."  Our  host 
stepped  forward  with  much  dignity,  saying— 

"  Excuse  me,  I  have  ladies  here."  The  intruders 
at  this  moment  caught  sight  of  us,  snatched  off  their 


194  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

caps,  and  with  some  half-uttered  apology  beat  a  hasty 
retreat.  A  number  of  cigars  and  a  quantity  of  sweets, 
which  they  had  no  doubt  purloined  from  some  other 
"  John,"  rolled  out  of  their  hats  upon  the  floor,  and 
they  never  stopped  to  pick  them  up.  Wong  How 
secured  the  door  from  further  intrusion. 

We  were  listening  to  the  chatter  and  watching  the 
collection  of  dark  expressionless  faces,  when  Ki  Chow's 
countenance  suddenly  changed;  an  unearthly  pallor 
overspread  his  face ;  he  lifted  his  finger  with  a  rapid 
motion.  "  Come !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  flew  to  the  door 
and  descended  the  stairs,  we  following  as  fast  as  our 
feet  could  carry  us.  Arrived  in  the  street,  we  hurried 
after  Ki  Chow  and  inquired  "  What  was  the  matter  ? 
What  had  occasioned  his  sudden  flight  ?  He  had  not 
even  given  us  time  to  exchange  parting  civilities  with 
his  friends  !  "  By  this  time  Ki  had  recovered  his  usual 
equanimity  ;  he  turned  upon  us  a  face  smiling  and 
bland  ;  innocent  and  unconscious  as  a  child  he  ex- 
claimed— 

"  Me  no  understand.     Me  takee  see  other  lady." 

What  it  was  that  caused  our  sudden  retreat  we  shall 
never  know.  It  must  have  been  something  serious, 
for  I  shall  never  forget  the  horror-struck  expression 
of  Ki  Chow's  face.  Until  that  moment  he  had  most 
deferentially  made  way  for  us  to  precede  him;  then, 
he  had  flown  down  the  stairs,  his  blouse  and  pigtail 
flying  behind  him,  merely  calling  to  us  "  Come !  " 

The  "  other  lady,"  to  whom  he  now  introduced  us, 
was  a  matron  of  five  years'  standing  ;  a  relative  of 
his,  I  believe.  We  found  her  in  a  similarly  handsome 
apartment  to  that  we  had  just  left,  attended  by  two 
maids,  who  stood  behind  her  and  only  moved  to  assist 


CHINESE    AMUSEMENTS.  195 

her  in  rising  or  walking.  At  her  feet  was  a  quaint 
little  bit  of  living  China,  a  miniature  man,  pigtail 
included,  frolicking  among  his  toy-gods  and  tin  soldiers. 
He  stared  at  us  with  his  beady  black  eyes  and  retreated 
behind  his  mamma,  who  rose  up  saying— 

"  How  you  do  ?  Me  velly  well."  She  shook  hands 
and  invited  us  to  be  seated.  She  spoke  a  little  English, 
giggled  a  good  deal,  seemed  pleased  with  our  admira- 
tion of  her  clothes  and  of  herself  (for  she  was  as 
gorgeously  apparelled  as  the  other),  and  appeared 
ready  and  willing  to  gratify  our  curiosity  so  far  as 
she  was  able.  We  examined  the  gold  ornaments  she 
wore  upon  her  arms  and  neck,  and  the  huge  hoops  in 
her  ears.  Her  outer  dress  was  of  light  blue,  artistically 
and  richly  embroidered  with  silk,  the  colours  beauti- 
fully blended  together.  We  picked  up  her  long  loose 
sleeve  and  counted  six  dresses  which  she  wore  one  over 
the  other,  all  of  different-coloured  silks  ;  they  were  so 
soft  that  the  whole  together  did  not  seem  much  thicker 
than  half  a  dozen  layers  of  tissue-paper !  We  ex- 
amined her  complicated  head-dress,  which  was  quite 
an  architectural  trophy,  so  greased  and  waxed  and 
strained,  such  wings  on  one  side,  such  plastered  puffs 
on  the  other.  We  inquired  how  much  time  was  daily 
spent  in  the  arrangement. 

"  Me  no  dless  evely  day.  Me  takee  down  in  tlee 
or  four  days,  and  doee  up  again." 

"  How  do  you  lie  down  ?  how  do  you  sleep  ?  "  we 
inquired.  She  despatched  a  maid  for  her  pillow — a 
round  block  of  wood,  covered  with  silk — which  she 
placed  at  the  back  of  her  neck. 

"  Me  sleep  so,  allee  same  so."  A  novel  way  of 
taking  rest. 


196  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

We  showed  her  our  big  feet ;  she  showed  us  her 
little  feet,  i.e.  a  small  misshapen  hoof.  We  had 
always  believed  that  the  Chinese  ladies  really  had 
small  baby-feet,  which  had  never  been  allowed  to 
grow ;  but  Ki  Chow  informed  us  that  they  never 
meddle  with  the  feet  till  the  child  is  from  six  to  eight 
years  old,  when  they  gather  the  toes  together  and 
twist  them  under  the  foot,  then  bind  them  with  strong 
ligatures,  which  on  no  pretence  whatever  are  loosened 
or  taken  off  for  two  years,  the  whole  of  which  time 
the  child  is,  of  course,  undergoing  great  torture. 

"  Me  have  two  little  girls  in  China,"  said  Ki  Chow, 
coolly.  "  My  wife  lite  me  word  she  makee  tlem  pletty 
feet  now,  and  they  cly,  cly,  all  night,  all  day,  allee 
same,  till  two  years  gone." 

It  would  be  curious  to  inquire  how  this  barbarous 
custom  first  obtained,  and  how  long,  in  these  days 
when  enlightenment  is  creeping  into  the  heart  of 
China,  it  will  be  permitted  to  endure. 


(•    197     ) 


CHAPTEE   XIX. 

CHRISTMAS    ON    A    CALIFORNIAN    RANCHE. 

Old    Friends — The    Ranche — Christmas    Day — Salinas    Valley 

A  Magic  City — A  Californian  Sunset. 

CHRISTMAS  has  come.  So  the  almanac  tells  us,  but  we 
can  scarcely  accept  the  fact,  Christmas  being  associated, 
in  our  minds,  with  frost  and  snow,  fogs  and  rain,  which 
seem  so  far  away  now  we  feel  as  though  the  damp, 
chill  atmosphere  could  never  enfold  us  again.  Here 
we  look  from  our  windows  on  a  bright,  sunlit  scene, 
where  the  tall,  green  palms  stand  fair  and  stately  in 
the  city  gardens,  and  calla  lilies  lift  their  fair  faces  to 
be  kissed  by  the  sun.  The  skies  are  intensely  blue, 
and  the  breeze  clear,  cool,  and  invigorating  as  the 
breath  of  our  own  spring  mornings.  Every  day  we 
say,  "  This  is  the  finest  we  have  ever  seen,"  but  the 
morrow  comes  and  brings  with  it  another  as  lovely  as 
the  last.  Our  thoughts  fly  homeward,  as,  indeed,  they 
often  do.  We  know  that  the  sleet  is  beating  against 
the  windows,  the  bleak  wind  tearing  through  the 
streets,  whistling  through  every  crevice,  chilling  the 
marrow  of  those  who  are  shivering  at  the  fireside, 
while  the  world  without  is  lying  stiff  and  rigid  in  its 
shroud  of  winter  snow.  We  think  of  the  friends  who 


198  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

have  been  so  long  and  so  dearly  associated  with  this 
season.  The  charmed  circle  was  broken  "  A  year  and 
more  agone !  "  Since  then  link  by  link  has  dropped, 
familiar  faces  have  faded  into  shadowy  memories.  One 
after  another,  they  have  followed  rapidly  "  into  the 
silent  land,"  "  the  land  of  the  great  departed,"  till  this 
world  seems  to  be  growing  empty  and  the  next  filling 
so  fast  we  feel  we  shall  scarcely  be  sorry  when  the 
order  comes  for  us  to  "  move  on  "  and  join  them. 

But  here  the  sun  is  shining,  and  somehow,  in  spite 
of  the  leaden  weight  upon  our  spirits,  there  is  some- 
thing in  this  health-laden  air  that  stirs  the  spirit  and 
sets  the  pulse  of  life  flowing  as  in  its  first  springtide ; 
and,  though  we  know  the  autumn  of  life  is  upon  us 
and  the  winter  may  not  be  far  off,  ready  to  sprinkle  its 
last  snows  upon  our  heads  and  write  finis  to  our  life's 
history,  yet  our  hearts  grow  lighter  and  rise,  as  though 
inflated  with  this  brilliant  atmosphere,  till  we  feel  like 
floating  away  in  the  sunshine.  After  all,  the  living 
must  march  ever  onward,  and  leave  the  dead  days 
mouldering  behind  them. 

We  loved  the  city  which  our  new  friends  had  made 
so  pleasant  to  us,  but  we  were  not  sorry  to  pack  up 
and  leave  it  for  a  while.  We  were  going  to  spend  the 
Christmas  on  a  Californian  ranche  with  some  old 
friends  who  were  closely  connected  with  the  "  days 
that  are  bygone,"  but  who  had  been  living  in  the  wild 
part  of  this  Western  world  for  the  last  five-and-twenty 
years.  No  doubt  we  each  expected  the  other  to  be 
changed  past  recognition ;  for  my  part,  I  thought  to 
find  the  dashing  young  officer,  who  had  borne  himself 
so  bravely  during  the  Eussian  campaign,  developed, 
through  agricultural  association  and  pursuits,  into  a 


CHRISTMAS    ON    A    CALIFORNIAN    RANCHE.  199 

Californian  farmer,  somewhat  lanky  about  the  lower 
limbs,  hollow-cheeked,  and  with  the  soft  and  by  no 
means  unpleasant  drawl  of  the  native  Californian.  I 
do  not  know  why  I  was  so  strongly  impressed  with 
this  imaginary  portrait,  for,  since  my  advent  into  the 
State,  my  preconceived  opinions  concerning  it  had 
undergone  a  rapid  transition  ;  things  were  so  different 
from  what  I  had  expected  ;  even  the  Californian  drawl 
had  dwindled  into  a  thing  more  imaginary  than  real. 

We  leave  San  Francisco  on  Christmas  Eve,  a  bril- 
liant, sunshiny  day,  and  take  our  seats  in  the  cars  of 
the  South  Pacific  Railway,  with  a  protest  against  the 
heat,  for,  December  being  a  winter  month  according 
to  the  division  of  time,  the  stoves  are  lighted  at  either 
end  of  the  car ;  the  blinds  are  closed  to  keep  out  the 
burning  rays  of  the  sun,  but  they  keep  in  the  stifling 
hot  air  of  the  stoves  till  the  crowded  car  becomes 
uncomfortably  close  and  warm.  The  rest  of  the  pas- 
sengers sit  and  bake  in  uncomplaining  calm  ;  to  us  the 
suffocating  air  grows  unendurable ;  we  get  out  and  sit 
upon  the  steps  of  the  rear  platform,  and  are  whirled 
along  through  pretty  home  scenery  at  the  not  espe- 
cially rapid  rate  of  twenty  miles  an  hour.  We  have 
not  long  been  in  possession  of  this  position  when  a 
polite  brakesman  taps  me  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Sorry  to  interrupt  you,  ma'am,  but  you  see  what's 
written  there,"  he  said,  pointing  to  a  warning  above 
the  car  door. 

I  look  up  and  shake  my  head  with  the  blank 
ignorance  of  the  "  heathen  Chinee."  "  I  can't  read," 
I  say. 

He  translates  the  sentence  :  "  Passengers  are 
strictly  forbidden  to  stand  on  the  platforms." 


200  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

"  All !  but  we  are  not  standing,"  I  exclaim,  exult- 
ingly,  "  and  there  is  no  prohibition  against  sitting" 

He  smiles,  vanquished,  and  leaves  us  in  possession  of 
the  field. 

After  a  run  of  about  four  hours,  we  steam  into 
Salinas  station.  But  few  passengers  alight.  The 
generality  are  going  to  places  beyond.  We  had 
scarcely  time  to  step  out  upon  the  platform  and 
glance  round,  when  the  only  occupant  thereof — a  tall, 
stately  gentleman — came  hurriedly  towards  us,  and, 
in  unmistakable  British  accents,  welcomed  us  most 
cordially.  The  tones  of  the  well-remembered  voice 
came  back  to  me  like  the  melody  of  an  old  song  that 
has  slept  in  the  memory  for  years  and  is  awakened 
suddenly  by  a  new  singer  in  a  new  land.  A  bridge 
seemed  to  be  flung  over  the  gap  of  time,  and  we  old 
friends  met  as  though  we  had  parted  but  yesterday. 
Yes ;  we  had  both  changed.  I  had  developed  from  a 
mere  thread  paper  to — but  no  man  (or  woman  either) 
is  bound  to  criminate  him  or  herself.  He  had  grown 
from  a  rather  languid,  delicate  young  fellow  to  a 
strong,  stalwart  man,  broad-chested,  with  muscles  and 
biceps  which  warranted  him  to  come  off  only  second 
best  in  a  tussle  with  a  grizzly ;  the  fine-featured  face 
was  bronzed  and  full,  but  the  smile  and  the  kind 
brown  eyes  were  still  the  same.  He  pointed  out  to 
us  the  ranche  as  we  bowled  over  the  rough,  uneven 
road.  It  is  about  three  miles  distant  from  Salinas, 
and,  being  situated  in  the  flat,  extensive  valley,  it  was 
visible  from  the  moment  we  left  the  station  behind  us. 
The  tall,  substantial  windmill  which  surmounts  the 
waterworks,  and  the  numerous  white  adobe  buildings 
gathered  round  the  main  dwelling-house,  give  it  the 


CHRISTMAS    ON    A    CALIFORNIAN    RANCHE.  201 

appearance  of  a  pretty  rural  village  lying  sleepily  in 
the  sunshine. 

The  Valley  of  Salinas  itself  is  neither  pretty  nor 
interesting.  It  is  about  twenty  miles  long  and  pro- 
portionately wide.  The  land  is  rich  and  productive, 
and  every  rood  is  well  under  cultivation ;  but  we  miss 
the  beautiful  green  hedges  which  divide  the  fields  and 
border  the  pleasant  country  lanes  in  the  old  country. 
Here  there  is  no  such  luxuriant  landmark ;  not  a  bush, 
not  a  tree  to  be  seen  ;  nothing  but  the  wide,  level 
plain  surrounded  by  a  perfect  amphitheatre  of  hills 
and  mountains  covered  with  dark  pine  or  sombre  fir 
trees.  Occasionally,  we  are  told,  their  bald  heads  are 
covered  with  snow,  which  is  rarely  known  to  reach  the 
valley  below. 

The  ranche  stands  some  distance  from  the  roadway, 
and  is  approached  by  a  long,  wide  avenue.  On  either 
side  are  planted  rows  of  trees,  which  don't  seem  in- 
clined to  grow ;  they  look  weird  and  sickly,  and, 
though  they  have  been  coaxed  and  nursed  in  the  best 
agricultural  fashion,  they  will  not  put  on  their  dress 
of  luxuriant  green  ;  they  look  dismal  and  melancholy, 
as  though  they  wanted  to  expand  into  respectable, 
shady  trees,  but  have  not  the  heart  to  do  it ;  they  seem 
to  feel  the  cruel  gopher  feeding  on  their  roots  and 
sending  the  poisoned  sap  through  their  tender  veins. 
This  is  the  third  year  this  experiment  has  been  tried 
and  failed,  as  it  is  failing  now. 

We  drive  through  this  avenue  and  through  an  old- 
fashioned,  arched,  adobe  gateway  into  an  open  court- 
yard. On  one  side  is  a  collection  of  adobe  buildings, 
the  dwelling-places  of  former  inhabitants,  but  which 
are  now  used  as  barns  or  lumber-sheds,  and  are  the 


202  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

sleeping-places  for  the  farm  labourers.  On  another  side 
is  a  low  range  of  adobe  rooms  or  houses,  comfortably 
fitted  up,  where  some  of  the  male  members  of  the 
family  sleep.  On  the  left-hand  side  is  the  family 
residence,  a  comfortable  frame  house,  two  storeys  high, 
which  was  sent  out  from  England  years  ago,  and,  after 
travelling  half  the  world  over,  was  planted  in  that  far- 
away corner  of  the  Western  world.  It  is  arranged 
and  furnished  in  every  way  according  to  the  require- 
ments of  a  refined  and  cultivated  English  family.  A 
large  hall  has  been  added  to  the  main  building,  forty 
feet  long  by  twenty  wide,  with  a  great,  old-fashioned 
bay-window  at  one  end,  looking  out  in  a  sweet,  wild 
wilderness  of  a  flower-garden.  A  wide  chimney,  with 
andirons,  whereon  pine  logs  are  plentifully  laid,  ready 
for  kindling,  is  on  one  side,  a  piano  stands  opposite, 
cosy  rocking  chairs,  and  other  signs  of  a  comfortable 
home  life  are  scattered  round  the  hearth  ;  a  long  table 
runs  down  the  centre  of  the  hall,  which  is  generally 
used  as  a  dining-room  when  the  family  is  increased  by 
guests  who,  like  ourselves,  find  always  a  welcome  at 
the  ranche,  and  come  not  in  "  single  spies,  but  in 
battalions."  The  laundry  stands  in  a  corner  of  the 
courtyard,  opposite  the  gateway,  and  the  dairy  in  a 
field  beyond.  We  received  a  cordial  welcome  from 
the  ladies  of  the  family.  A  collection  of  pretty  girls 
and  fine,  manly  young  fellows,  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  the  house,  came  out  into  the  courtyard  to  meet  us. 
It  was  a  pleasant  sight,  that  father  and  mother,  still  in 
the  prime  of  life,  with  their  unbroken  circle  of  bloom- 
ing girls  and  sturdy  boys  around  them — children  of 
the  Old  World  taking  root  in  the  soil  of  the  New.  I 
found  my  host  was  more  British  than  ever.  So  far 


CHRISTMAS    ON    A    CALIFORNIAN    RANCHE.  203 

from  his  interests  and  sympathies  with  the  Old  World 
languishing  or  lessening  from  his  long  sojourn  in  this 
far-away  land,  they  were  keener  than  ever ;  he  marches 
side  by  side  with  us  in  all  social  questions,  and  is 
more  thoroughly  conversant  with  political  matters, 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  than  many  who  are  in  our 
midst.  Papers,  magazines,  pamphlets  find  their  way 
from  the  heart  of  London  to  the  core  of  the  Western 
world.  We  found  the  daughters  of  the  house  purely 
English  in  thought,  tone,  and  feeling,  all  their  aspira- 
tions rising  towards  the  old  land,  and  their  longings 
turning  thitherward,  while  the  sons  seemed  as  purely 
American  in  theirs. 

Behind  the  ranche,  and  as  it  were  keeping  guard 
over  it,  rises  Gapilan  Peak,  the  highest  and  loveliest 
of  all  that  mountain  range.  It  seemed  so  near  to  us 
that  I  proposed  a  morning  scramble  and  luncheon  on 
the  top,  but  I  was  speedily  informed  that  it  would  take 
a  long  day,  of  pretty  rough  travelling  too,  to  climb  the 
rugged  mountain  sides,  and  would  necessitate  spending 
a  night  on  the  summit,  from  which,  however,  could  be 
seen  a  most  glorious  sunrise.  This  sounded  romantic, 
but  I  had  no  desire  to  taste  the  doubtful  delight.  We 
occupied  the  principal  guest  chamber,  which  had  no 
actual  communication  with  the  house,  but  opened  on  to 
a  wide  verandah,  which  led  down  through  a  deliciously 
wild  garden  direct  to  the  woods.  As  we  lay  in  our 
beds  at  night  we  could  hear  the  coyotes  come  howling 
down  from  the  wilderness,  but  the  deep  bay  of  our 
good  watch-dogs  speedily  chased  them  off  the  premises. 
We  had  no  fear  of  tramps  or  stragglers,  for  we  had 
gallant  defenders  near,  with  guns  and  rifles  loaded. 

On  Christmas  Day  there  was  a  frost,  and  the  ponds 


204  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

were  covered  with  a  coating  of  ice.  They  said  we  had 
brought  an  English  Christmas  into  the  midst  of  the 
sunlands.  Such  a  thing  as  frost  and  snow  had  not 
been  known  there  for  twenty  years.  A  clear,  cold, 
frosty  air,  blue  skies,  and  a  blazing  sun  roused  us  early 
in  the  morning,  and  on  descending  to  the  breakfast- 
room  we  found  pretty  souvenirs  of  Aballone  jewelry, 
peculiar  to  California,  beside  our  plates,  and  the  Chinese 
servants  had  presented  the  members  of  the  family  with 
some  native  toy,  according  to  their  custom. 

At  dinner  the  large  family  circle  was  increased  by 
the  advent  of  some  solitary  friends  and  neighbours. 
We  were  merry  and  sad  and  glad  together.  We 
thought  of  those  who  were  gone,  but  we  talked  of 
those  who  remained.  Our  host  proposed  "  The  Old 
Country."  I  think  there  was  a  tug  at  our  hearts,  and 
our  voices  were  scarcely  steady  as  we  rose  with  one 
accord  and  accepted  it.  I  presently  whispered  a  name 
which  was  caught  up  and  echoed  from  one  end  of  the 
table  to  the  other — "  With  love  and  greetings  across 
the  sea."  Then  somebody  suggested  that  "  Eule 
Britannia "  would  be  appropriate  for  an  after-dinner 
melody  as  we  gathered  round  the  blazing  pine  fire. 
Forthwith  that  lady  commenced  ruling  "the  waves," 
and  I  don't  think  she  ever  performed  that  ceremony 
with  more  true  and  loyal  hearts  around  her.  We  were 
all  feeling  ridiculously  patriotic.  We  grumble  when 
we  are  at  home,  and  are  severe  on  the  faults  and  fail- 
ings of  our  Motherland  ;  we  pick  holes  in  her  best 
coat,  and  find  flaws  in  her  finest  policy.  But  when 
we  are  away,  and  thousands  of  miles  of  land  and  sea 
divide  us  from  her, — well,  she  might  beat  us  with  her 
trident  and  we'd  forgive  her  ! 


CHRISTMAS    ON   A    CALIFORNIA!*   RANqHE.  205 

We  passed  a  delightful  time  with  this  interesting 
family.  We  all  had  our  own  opinions,  and  strong 
ones  too.  We  drove  about  the  country,  or  roamed 
through  the  woods  all  day,  and  in  the  evening 
gathered  round  the  fire  (for  it  was  cooler  here  than 
in  the  city),  and  discussed  ourselves  and  our  American 
cousins.  We  picked  one  another  to  pieces,  and  put 
ourselves  together  again,  amid  much  fun  and  laughter, 
and  a  tolerable  amount  of  fairness  on  both  sides. 

We  had  often  heard  our  host  alluded  to  in  the  local 
papers  as  "  the  Big  Bug  of  Salinas  ;  "  a  strange  phrase, 
which  sounded  to  us  of  the  offensively  facetious 
order,  but  it  was  not  so  held  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  place ;  by  them  it  is  employed  quite  as  a  title 
of  honour,  and  applied  to  one  whom  all  the  towns- 
folk held  in  the  highest  esteem.  It  is  no  wonder 
that  the  people  of  Salinas  paid  this  tribute  of  respect 
to  our  host,  for  he  was  the  founder  of  their  city,  and 
it  is  entirely  owing  to  his  enterprise  and  judicious 
management  that  it  has  grown  to  be  the  important 
place  it  is.  Twelve  years  ago  the  Salinas  Yalley  was 
a  vast  uncultivated  plain,  with  two  wretched  tumble- 
down Spanish  villages — Natividad  and  Santa  Rita, — 
both  of  the  most  miserable  description,  which  are 
settled  in  one  corner  of  it.  He  chanced  to  be  passing 
through  this  lovely  tract  of  country,  where  a  winding 
river  trailed  its  silver  waters ;  numbers  of  waggon 
trains  and  other  traffic  passed  along  this  valley  on  the 
way  to  Monterey  and  other  settlements  on  the  coast, 
and  he  thought  it  would  be  an  admirable  site  for  a 
halting-place.  To  think  was  to  act.  He  bought  an 
extensive  tract  of  land,  consisting  of  many  thousand 
acres,  selected  an  appropriate  spot,  and  staked  out  lots 


206  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

» 

for  streets,  churches,  public  buildings,  etc.,  and  adver- 
tised them  for  sale  in  all  the  Californian  and  many  other 
papers.  His  venture  met  with  entire  success  ;  the  lots 
were  bought  up  and  building  commenced  with  great 
rapidity,  and  the  place  has  now  developed  into  a  city 
of  between  three  and  four  thousand  inhabitants,  with 
numerous  aids  to  religion  in  the  way  of  churches, 
a  bank,  a  town  hall,  and  even  a  prison,  which  was 
occupied  on  the  occasion  of  our  visit  by  a  handsome 
horse-stealer  and  a  predatory  Chinaman.  The  former 
was  stretched  upon  his  straw  pallet  reading  a  recent 
copy  of  the  Atlantic  Monthly.  The  city  of  Salinas  is  in 
a  most  flourishing  condition  ;  building  is  still  going 
on,  and  as  the  wind  blows  fresh  faces  thitherward 
it  promises  to  double  its  present  numbers  before  many 
years  are  past.  The  whole  of  the  valley,  as  I  have 
said  before,  is  in  a  state  of  high  cultivation.  There  are 
several  flourishing  farms  and  extensive  fields  of  grain. 
Opposite  our  entrance  gate  is  a  cornfield  more  than 
two  miles  long. 

We  soon  exhausted  the  beauty  of  Salinas  Yalley, 
but  could  not  so  easily  exhaust  the  hospitality  of  our 
friends,  who  resolved  to  escort  us  on  a  tour  to 
Monterey,  one  of  the  oldest  Spanish  settlements  along 
the  coast,  where  there  are  still  the  remains  of  a  most 
interesting  mission  built  a  century  ago.  We  are  to 
start  in  the  morning,  and  we  go  out  to  take  a  last 
evening  stroll,  escorted  by  all  the  young  folk  of  the 
family,  one  of  whom,  a  young  gentleman  aged  seven, 
proves  an  heroic  acquisition.  He  marches  in  front 
of  us,  runs  after  the  squirrels,  chases  the  gophers  into 
their  holes,  pelts  the  pigs  out  of  our  path,  and  at  last 
compels  an  advancing  corps  of  cattle  to  turn  tail  arid 


CHRISTMAS    ON    A    CALIFORNIAN   RANCHE.  207 

run,  while  we  take  shelter  from  their  crumpled  horns 
behind  a  gatepost. 

The  sun  sinks  rapidly  behind  the  hills,  and  leaves 
the  Western  hemisphere  aglow  with  golden  light,  with 
feathery  plumes  of  crimson,  isles  of  amber,  and  pale 
amethyst  cloudlets  floating  therein,  changing  and 
amalgamating  their  gorgeous  hues,  till  they  form  one 
brilliant  cavalcade  of  coloured  glory.  Long  after  the 
sun  has  departed  the  skies  retain  their  brightest  blue  ; 
slowly  the  trailing  skirts  of  the  twilight  cover  them, 
and  we  take  a  last  look  at  the  mountains  shrouded 
in  the  purple  mist  peculiar  to  the  Californian  climate, 
which  for  the  time  gives  them  a  mysterious  airy 
appearance,  as  though  they  were  growing  in  cloudland 
rather  than  on  this  solid  earth  of  ours.  In  the  glow- 
ing daylight  this  airy  drapery  is  invisible  ;  it  is  only 
seen  when  the  shades  of  evening  begin  to  fall. 


208  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

IN    THE    VALLEY    OF    CARMELO. 

Monterey — The  Kuins  of  the  Mission — The  Spanish  Inhabitants 
of  the  Old  Town — The  Moss  Beach — The  Lighthouse— The 
Pebbly  Pescadero — Good-bye. 

WE  reach  Monterey  in  the  cool  of  the  evening.  A 
queer,  tumble-down  Spanish  town  lying  close  along 
the  sea-shore.  One  or  two  fishermen  are  trailing  their 
nets  on  the  face  of  the  water,  and  some  fishing-smacks, 
with  their  brown,  patched  sails,  are  anchored  in  the 
bay,  and  are  rocked  so  gently  by  the  waves  they  seem 
to  be  coquetting  with  their  own  shadows.  Not  much 
more  than  a  century  ago  a  host  of  Spanish  vessels 
sailed  into  this  now  lonely  and  deserted  harbour,  their 
colours  flying,  their  decks  crowded  with  soldiers, 
sailors,  priests,  and  nuns.  Here  they  landed  in  search 
of  a  good  site  whereon  to  found  a  mission  for  their 
priestly  labours.  They  stationed  themselves  on  an 
elevated  point  about  two  miles  from  the  sea  ;  there  the 
labour  of  love  began.  They  built  a  presidio  for  the 
soldiers  to  protect  the  fathers  from  the  native  Indians. 
Every  man  who  had  hands  to  work  devoted  himself  to 
the  cause,  and  laboured  till  the  church  and  mission 
buildings  were  completed.  All  that  part  of  the 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  CARMELO.          209 

country  was  taken  possession  of  in  the  name  of  the 
King  of  Spain,  and  the  work  of  conversion  began. 
The  ceremony  was  performed  with  a  blare  of  trumpets, 
beating  of  drums,  and  salvos  of  artillery,  calling  out  an 
army  of  echoes  from  the  surrounding  hills  and  moun- 
tains. The  poor  Indians  were  at  first  dazed  with  the 
display  of  tawdry  magnificence  and  frightened  at  the 
thundering  sounds  which  shook  the  air  and  seemed  to 
make  the  solid  earth  tremble  beneath  their  feet ;  but 
by  degrees  they  approached,  and  then  learned  that  this 
wonderful  expedition  was  organized  expressly  for  their 
benefit.  Peace  in  this  world  and  glory  in  the  next 
was  freely  promised  them.  The  gates  of  Paradise 
were  opened  before  them  ;  they  had  nothing  to  do  but 
walk  in  and  take  possession.  Scores  were  converted 
every  day ;  they  bowed  down  before  the  altar.  The 
acolytes  swung  the  incense,  the  fathers  preached  and 
chanted  in  an  unknown  tongue,  the  nuns,  from  behind 
their  grated  gallery,  lifted  their  songs  of  adoration 
and  praise,  and  the  poor  heathen  souls  were  caught  up 
in  the  great  mystery  and  won  to  God. 

From  Mexico  and  Spain  settlers  soon  came  flocking 
into  the  beautiful  valley,  establishing  themselves  upon 
the  sea-shore,  building  dwellings,  grazing  cattle,  and 
growing  fruits  and  flowers,  increasing  and  multiplying 
themselves  and  their  houses  till  the  city  grew  and,  for 
a  time,  flourished  in  peace  and  plenty,  carrying  on  a 
thriving  trade  not  only  with  Spain  and  Mexico,  but 
with  the  inhabitants  along  the  coast.  The  descendants 
of  the  first  settlers,  to  a  great  extent,  still  occupy  the 
now  half-deserted,  dilapidated  town.  The  mission 
church,  presidio,  and  other  buildings  appertaining 
thereto  are  on  an  elevated  spot  some  two  miles  distant 


210  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

from  the  town,  overlooking  the  lovely  and  extensive 
Carmel  Valley. 

Only  a  century  ago  the  church  was  filled  with 
priests  and  converts,  the  presidio,  with  soldiers,  their 
clanking  arms  and  breastplates  glittering  in  the  sun ; 
vessels  rode  at  anchor  in  the  harbour,  and  crowds  of 
Dutch  and  Spanish  traders,  with  their  bales  of  mer- 
chandise, swarmed  upon  the  silver-sanded  beach  below. 
Now  all  is  gone,  like  painted  shadows  fading  from  the 
sunshine. 

The  church,  crowning  the  hilltop  and  dominating 
the  landscape  for  miles  round,  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful,  picturesque,  and  perfect  ruins  upon  the 
coast.  Its  exterior  is  complete,  even  to  the  rusty  bell 
which  still  hangs  in  the  belfry  tower,  and  creaks  with 
a  ghostly  clang  when  the  wind  blows  through ;  and 
we  are  surprised  to  find  so  much  of  the  decorative 
masonry  still  intact.  Dilapidated  saints  and  cherubs, 
with  broken  trumpets  and  mouldering  wings,  still  hold 
their  places,  while  all  around  is  slowly  but  surely  crum- 
bling to  decay  ;  and,  though  in  places  you  may  see  the 
daylight  streaming  through  the  roof,  you  can  still 
ramble  through  the  nuns'  gallery  and  look  down  upon 
the  altar,  where  the  broken  font  still  clings  to  the  wall. 

On  the  occasion  of  our  visit,  a  small  side  chapel  or 
vestry  was  decorated  with  ivy,  evergreens,  and  paper 
flowers,  and  tin  sconces,  with  the  remains  of  guttering 
candles,  were  left  upon  the  walls.  It  had  been  evi- 
dently used  very  lately — by  the  villagers,  perhaps,  for 
some  festive  gathering.  The  extensive  range  of  adobe 
buildings  which  surround  the  church  and  were  occu- 

O 

pied  by  the  converts  and  day  labourers,  are  still  in  a 
state  of  semi-preservation ;  the  roofs  are  gone,  but  the 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  CARMELO.          211 

walls  are  still  standing.  The  whole  of  these  sacred 
possessions  were  enclosed,  and  entered  then  as  now  by 
a  massive  gateway  at  the  foot  of  the  southern  slope. 

The  town  of  Monterey  is  only  interesting  from  its 
association  with  the  past.  It  is  dirty,  it  is  dusty,  it  is 
utterly  void  of  all  modern  improvements.  Streets  ! 
there  are  none  to  speak  of,  except,  perhaps,  a  row  of 
slovenly  shops  which  have  been  run  up  by  some 
demented  genius  the  last  few  years.  The  old  adobe 
houses — and  they  are  all  made  of  that  species  of  sun- 
dried  clay — straggle  about  in  the  most  bewildering 
fa  si  don  ;  it  is  much  easier  to  lose  your  way  than  to 
find  it.  The  people  are  all  strongly  characteristic  of 
their  Spanish  origin  ;  they  are  a  dark,  swarthy,  lazy- 
looking  race,  and  scarcely  seem  to  have  energy  enough 
to  keep  themselves  awake.  Their  houses  have  no  pre- 
tension to  architecture  of  any  kind  ;  there  is  no  attempt 
at  pretty  cottage-building  or  rural  decoration ;  not 
even  a  creeping  plant  is  trained  to  hide  the  bare  walls ; 
they  have  low  doorways — a  tall  man  must  stoop  to 
enter  them  —  and  small,  square  windows  set  in  the 
thick  clay  walls.  I  suppose  the  men  do  work  some- 
times, but  I  have  seen  them  at  all  hours,  shouldering 
the  doorposts,  smoking  in  sombre,  majestic  silence, 
while  the  wives  sit  on  stools  beside  them,  generally 
with  bright-coloured  handkerchiefs  pinned  across  their 
breasts,  huge  gold  hoops  in  their  ears,  and  often  thick 
bracelets  on  their  arms.  In  her  barbaric  love  of  dis- 
play the  woman  forms  a  picturesque  and  striking 
figure  in  the  shadow  of  her  majestic  lord ;  she  is  a 
piece  of  brilliant  colouring,  from  the  full,  red  lips,  rich- 
hued  complexion,  to  the  sparkling  black  eyes  which 
illuminate  the  whole. 


212  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

In  the  heart  of  the  town  there  is  a  long,  low 
range  of  deserted  buildings  formerly  occupied  by  the 
military ;  the  windows  are  all  broken,  the  worm-eaten 
doors  hang,  like  helpless  cripples,  on  their  hinges,  and 
only  the  ghostly  echoes  of  the  wind  goes  wandering 
through  the  empty  chambers.  In  all  quarters  of  the 
town  you  may  come  upon  houses  with  windows  patched 
or  broken  and  padlocked  doors,  the  owners  having 
died  or  wandered  away,  and  no  one  (but  the  rats)  cares 
to  take  possession  of  bare  walls.  Nobody  heeds  ,them  ; 
they  are  left  to  natural  decay.  We  passed  some  lonely, 
barnlike  dwellings,  with  curtained  windows  and  large 
gardens  behind,  where  we  could  see  the  orchard  trees, 
and  flowering  shrubs,  and  white  winter  roses  growing; 
these  were  shrouded  with  almost  monastic  quietude. 
We  go  to  the  primitive  Catholic  Church  on  Sunday, 
and  wonder  where  all  the  beautiful  women  dressed  in 
their  picturesque  national  costume  have  come  from. 
They  have  a  proud,  haughty  look  upon  their  faces,  and 
seem  to  resent  our  intrusion.  These,  we  were  told,  are 
the  aristocratic  remains  of  the  ancient  dwellers  in  the 
city,  who  form  a  small,  exclusive  society  among  them- 
selves, and  live  in  the  secluded  barnlike  buildings 
above  alluded  to.  Some  are  in  the  midst  of  the  town ; 
some  scattered  on  the  outskirts.  The  music  was  good 
and  the  service  reverently  conducted. 

There  are  two  or  three  old-established  hotels,  all  of 
a  more  or  less  indifferent  kind.  We  went  to  the  best, 
which  is  of  quite  a  second-rate  character,  but  it  serves 
well  enough  as  a  resting-place  for  passing  tourists. 
The  inhabitants  are  strictly  conservative — not  with  the 
true  spirit  of  conservatism,  which  retains  the  best  and 
improves  or  lops  off  what  is  bad  in  its  constitution,  but 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  CARMELO.          213 

they  carry  out  the  conservatism  of  ignorance ;  they 
will  not  advance  with  the  age ;  "  what  was  good 
enough  for  their  forefathers,"  they  argue,  "  is  good 
enough  for  them  ;  as  they  were  in  the  old  days,  so 
they  are  now;  they  plod  along  in  the  old  groove,  and 
keep  to  their  old  customs,  and  nurse  their  old  super- 
stitions with  undeviating  blind  persistency.  Why 
should  they  trouble  about  improving  ?  " 

There  is  not  a  drop  of  water  fit  to  drink  in  the 
whole  city.  The  bright  sparkling  springs  may  be 
bubbling  beneath  their  feet,  but  they  will  not  dig  for 
it.  The  tourist  must  drink  aerated  water,  lager  beer, 
or  a  poisonous  decoction  called  wine.  Even  the  visitors 
have  hitherto  been  content  with  the  meagre  accommo- 
dation afforded  them.  The  United  States,  which,  as  a 
rule,  is  quick  to  perceive  arid  put  its  progressive  ideas 
in  motion,  seems  to  have  forgotten  Monterey  and  left 
it,  so  far,  to  govern  itself.  But  things  are  changing 
now.  People  are  awakening  to  a  sense  of  the  im- 
portance of  Monterey,  which  might,  and  most  probably 
will,  become  one  of  the  most  delightful  seaside  resorts 
in  the  State  ;  it  has  every  requisite  to  make  it  most 
attractive.  It  has  excellent  facilities  for  bathing,  a 
magnificent  sea  view,  and  the  walks  and  drives  about 
the  surrounding  country  are  beautiful  in  the  extreme  ; 
there  are  wooded  bosky  dells,  luxuriant  green  valleys, 
and  undulating  hills  on  every  side,  arid  it  is  in  close 
proximity  to  points  of  great  interest;  the  roads  are 
pleasant  and  easy  to  drive  along  ;  in  fact,  the  only 
want  at  Monterey  is  accommodation  for  visitors,  and  that 
want  is  being  rapidly  supplied.  A  monster  hotel  of 
quaint  Swiss  architecture  is  in  course  of  erection  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  town  ;  it  is  partially  surrounded 


214  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

by  a  wood  of  scented  pine  and  grand  old  forest  trees, 
and  a  wide,  magnificent  sea  view  stretches  before  it ; 
its  appointments  are  to  be.  of  the  most  luxurious 
description  ;  hundreds  of  busy  workmen  are  employed 
upon  it,  and  a  promise  is  held  out  that  it  will  be  opened 
for  this  summer  season.* 

One  clear,  cool  morning  we  pack  a  luncheon  basket 
and  start  for  a  "  cruise  on  wheels."  We  drive  first 
past  the  old  mission  buildings  to  the  Moss  Beach, 
lying  along  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  so 
called  from  the  peculiar  mossy  .character  and  beauty  of 
the  seaweed  it  flings  so  liberally  along  the  pure,  white 
sand,  for  the  beach  here  is  like  powdered  snow,  and 
stretches  far  into  the  wild  inland,  its  still,  billowy 
waves  sparkling  like  diamonds  in  the  sunshine.  A  few 
miles  farther  on,  and  after  a  pleasant  drive  through 
pretty  home  scenery,  we  pass  a  Chinese  fishing  village, 
it  being  a  mere  collection  of  miserable  hovels,  and,  as 
an  Indian  decorates  his  wigwam  with  scalps,  these  are 
hung  inside  and  out  with  rows  of  dried  and  dying 
bodies  of  fish.  The  beach  is  covered  with  their  bony 
skeletons  and  fishy  remains  in  different  stages  of  de- 
composition, and  the  whole  air  is  redolent  with  an 
"  ancient  and  fishlike  smell."  We  are  satisfied  with  an 
outside  view,  and  have  no  desire  to  explore,  but  drive 
on  as  fast  as  we  can  till  we  reach  the  "  pebbly  beach  of 
Pescadero,"  which  is  quite  a  celebrated  spot.  People 
come  from  miles  round  to  visit  it,  and  spend  many 
hours  in  hunting  for  moss  agates  ;  for  these,  and  many 
others  of  a  beautiful  and  rare  description,  may  be  found 
in  great  numbers  there.  But  apart  from  the  chance  of 

*  Since  these  lines  were  written  the  Hotel  Del  Monte  has  been 
completed  and  is  now  opened. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  CARMELO.          215 

finding  these  treasures,  the  pebbly  beach  is  in  itself  a 
great  attraction  for  its  rarity,  as  all  along  that  portion 
of  the  coast  there  is  only  a.  sandy  shore. 

Thence  we  drive  on  to  the  lighthouse,  which  stands 
on  a  rocky  eminence  jutting  out  into  the  sea.  We 
climbed  the  narrow  stairway  to  the  top,  and  enjoyed 
an  extensive  panoramic  view  of  the  wild  sea  and 
wilder  land  surrounding.  A  lonely,  desolate  place  it 
was,  and  to  some  folk  would  be  maddening  in  its 
monotonous  dreariness,  with  the  waves  for  ever  beating 
round  its  rocky  base,  varied  only  by  the  screech  of  the 
sea-birds  or  howling  of  the  wandering  wind.  Yet 
even  in  this  bleak  spot  the  keeper  has  coaxed  flowers 
into  growing,  and  hollyhocks,  scarlet  geraniums, 
dahlias,  and  other  hardy  plants  are  blooming  round  the 
lonely  dwelling. 

We  are  to  take  our  lunch  at  Cypress  Point,  which  we 
reach  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  This  in- 
teresting and  romantic  spot  which  we  had  selected  for 
our  temporary  festivity  is  an  extensive  grove,  a  miniature 
forest  of  cypress  trees,  covering  and  growing  to  the  very 
verge  of  a  lofty  cliff  which  rises  about  two  hundred  feet 
perpendicularly  from  the  sea.  Their  sombre  forms,  still 
and  motionless,  though  a  stiff  breeze  is  blowing,  turn 
oceanwards  like  dark-plumed,  dusky  sentinels  keeping 
watch  and  ward  over  the  rock-bound  land.  How 
many  centuries  have  they  stood  there  ?  Their  age  is 
beyond  our  ken.  We  feel  the  strange  fascination  of 
this  gloomy  spot.  The  ancient  trees  have  grown  into 
strange,  fantastic  forms.  Some  lie  prone  upon  the 
ground,  gnarled  and  twisted  as  though  they  had 
wrestled  in  their  death-agony  ages  ago,  and  left  their 
skeletons  bleaching  in  the  sunshine,  for  like  the 


216  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

whitening  bones  of  a  dead  man  they  crumble  at  the 
touch.  Some  have  twined  their  stiff  branches  in- 
extricably together,  apparently  engaged  in  an  ever- 
lasting wrestling  match.  Here,  like  a  half-clothed 
wizard,  stands  a  skeleton  tree  with  withered  arms  out- 
stretched, and  crooked  fingers  pointing  menacingly  at 
its  invisible  destroyer.  On  every  side  the  weird, 
strange  forms  strike  the  imagination,  and  though 
the  sea  is  laughing  and  sparkling  in  the  sun,  and 
the  soft  wind  fanning  us  with  its  cool,  invigorating 
breath,  the  grim,  silent  congregation  gives  us  an 
uncanny  feeling,  though  we  gather  under  their  shade 
and  eat,  drink,  and  are  merry.  We  shiver  as  we  think 
what  a  spectral  scene  this  cypress  grove  must  be  in  the 
moonlight. 

We  drive  through  the  beautiful  Carmel  Yalley, 
with  its  wealth  of  picturesque  beauty  spread  in  rich 
luxuriance  for  miles  round  us.  Wood  and  water, 
undulating  hills  and  grassy  slopes  succeed  each  other, 
making  a  natural  panorama,  as  we  drive  slowly  on, 
taking  in  the  dainty  scene  with  unwearying  eyes. 
Occasionally  we  passed  a  lonely  farmhouse  in  the 
valley,  or  a  chicken  ranche  half  hidden  among  the 
trees  on  the  hillside.  These,  we  were  told,  are  many 
of  them  occupied  by  English  gentlemen  of  culture  and 
education.  Indeed,  not  only  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  but  all  over  California  and  in  Colorado,  in 
corners  farthest  away  from  the  sight  and  sound  of  their 
fellow-men,  we  find  our  countrymen  have  settled  down 
as  tillers  of  the  land  and  cultivators  of  the  soil.  We 
are  sometimes  disposed  to  wonder  what  has  driven 
them  to  these  far  corners  of  the  earth.  With  some, 
perhaps,  a  love  of  adventure  ;  a  desire  to  form  a  part  of 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  CARMELO.          217 

the  electric  life  of  a  new  land.  One  gentleman  in- 
formed us  that  he  had  been  plucked  at  college;  another 
had  failed  in  a  public  examination.  They  had  gene- 
rally been  crowded  out  of  the  Old  World  by  failure  of 
one  kind  or  another,  and  wandered  away  to  the  New, 
where  there  is  room  for  men  to  build  up  another  life, 
and  every  facility  for  striking  out  "  into  fresh  fields 
and  pastures  new."  They  appear  prosperous,  happy, 
and  contented,  but  one  and  all  seem  to  encourage  a 
desire  to  return  to  the  old  land  "  when  the  children 
have  grown  up." 

Our  pleasant  visit  came  to  an  end.  I  don't  think 
any  of  us  cared  to  say  "  good-bye,"  but  we  went 
through  the  ceremony  with  dignified  calm.  The 
wonder  rose  in  our  hearts,  though  it  never  reached 
our  lips,  "  shall  we  ever  stand  face  to  face  in  this  world 
again  ? "  "  Perhaps,"  whispers  hope  softly.  We 
shake  hands.  "  Good-bye,"  "  Good-bye."  With  a 
shriek  and  a  whistle  our  train  steams  onward.  We 
carry  away  with  us,  and  I  hope  leave  behind,  many 
pleasant  memories  of  our  Christmas  in  California. 


218  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

ON   THE   BANKS   OF   THE   BAY. 

New  Year's  Visits — The  Gentleman's  Day — Local  Attractions — 
Berkeley  College — Saucelito — In  Arcadia — Among  the  Woods 
and  Flowers — A  Fairy  Festival. 

THE  streets  of  San  Francisco  are  empty — that  is,  empty 
as  regards  the  female  population.  Not  a  petticoat  is  to 
be  seen ;  Kearney  is  deserted,  and  masculine  humanity 
is  left  in  full  possession  of  California  and  Montgomery. 
Rank,  beauty,  and  fashion  is  "  receiving "  to-day. 
Buggies,  sulkies,  rockaways,  and  every  conceivable  kind 
of  vehicle,  filled  with  gentlemen  in  evening  costumes, 
are  dashing  frantically  along  the  streets ;  hospitable 
doors  are  open,  and  a  constant  stream  of  the  nobler 
sex  flows  in  and  out ;  they  come  and  go  in  such  quick 
succession  it  seems  as  though  they  were  shot  out  of 
a  catapult  one  moment  and  shot  back  the  next.  It 
is  a  sort  of  "  go-as-you-please "  visiting  race,  and  he 
who  pays  most  calls  between  midday  and  midnight 
rises  to  an  imaginary  place  of  honour.  The  1st  of 
January  is  essentially  the  "  gentleman's  day."  Every 
lady — that  is,  everybody  who  is  anybody,  and  many 
who  are  "  nobodies,"  who  hold  neutral  ground,  and 
cling,  like  a  ragged  fringe,  to  the  skirts  of  society— 


ON    THE    BANKS    OF    THE    BAY.  219 

?  stays  at  home  to  receive  New  Year's  calls  and  friendly 
|  greetings  from  her  gentleman   friends.     The  advent 
I  of  a  lady  on  this   occasion  would   be  considered   an 
(outrage  of  all  propriety.     Sometimes  ladies  unite,  two 
;or   three  together,  and  hold  their  mutual   receptions 
j  under  one  roof,  generally  choosing  the  most  important 
land  most  central  position,  so  as  to  simplify  as  much 
as    possible    the    labours    of    their    admirers.      Their 
decision  is  generally  announced  to  the  world  in  this 
fashion :    "  The  lovely  Miss  A.  and  the  accomplished 
Miss  B.  will  assist  Mrs.  So-aiid-so  in  receiving  to-day." 
Although  the  sun  is  shining  brilliantly  without,  the 
windows  are  closed,  the  gas  lighted,  the  rooms  beauti- 
fully  decorated   with   choice   flowers,  and   the   ladies 
descend  in  their  full  accoutrement  of  charms  and  enter 
into  this  artificial  night  to  receive   the  greetings  of 
their  several  admirers.     This  custom  obtains  in  all  the 
great  cities  of  America,  but  in  San  Francisco  it  is  held  in 
the  fullest  splendour  and  maintained  with  the  greatest 
tenacity.    The  next  day  the  press  teems  with  a  thrilling 
account  of  the  day's  proceedings.     Whole  columns  of 
the  Chronicle  are  devoted  to  details  of  the  ladies'  dresses ; 
the  number  of  their  visitors  are  duly  chronicled,  and 
woe  be  to  the  delinquent  he  who  has  failed  in  his  duty ; 
the  rest — well,  I  fancy  there  is  a  good  deal  of  unchari- 
tableness  working  behind  a  masked  battery  of  smiles -in 
the  exchange  of  female  confidences  on  the  next  day's 
meeting. 

The  time  flies  so  fast  in  this  beautiful,  hospitable 
land  that  we  are  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  it, 
and,  having  fulfilled  our  engagements  in  the  city, 
we  decided  to  pay  flying  visits  to  some  of  the  lovely 
resorts  lying  along  the  banks  of  the  bay,  which, 


220  THROUGH    CITIES   AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

as  I  have  said  before,  is  large  enough  for  all  the 
navies  of  the  world  to  play  hide-and-seek  in.  Oak- 
land, perhaps,  takes  precedence,  it  being  the  most 
extensive,  the  most  important,  and  certainly  among 
the  loveliest  of  these  rural  suburbs.  It  has  a  railway 
of  its  own  dashing  through  the  crowded  public 
thoroughfares  from  one  end  of  the  town  to  the  other, 
its  engine  bell  cling-clanging,  warning  everybody  out 
of  the  way  as  it  charges  onward.  There  are  plenty  of 
handsome  shops,  some  very  fine  churches,  banks,  and 
a  free  mercantile  library,  presided  over  by  an  ac- 
complished and  efficient  lady  librarian,  for  female  in- 
tellect is  held  at  a  higher  premium,  and  is  utilized 
to  a  greater  extent  in  the  New  World  than,  in  the 
Old.  Branching  off  from  the  populous  highway  are 
picturesque  grassy  streets,  with  quaint  or  fanciful 
dwellings  on  either  side,  all  detached  and  surrounded 
by  blooming  gardens,  stretching  away  on  all  sides,  till 
the  busy,  bright  little  town,  with  a  series  of  coquettish 
manoeuvres,  touches  the  green  slopes  of  Berkeley,  the 
seat  of  learning,  the  fount  of  knowledge,  whence  the 
youth  of  California  draw  their  mental  sustenance. 
There  stands  Berkeley  College,  presided  over  by  Pro- 
fessor John  Le  Conte,  one  of  the  most  eminent  classical 
scholars  of  the  day,  of  European  reputation.  The  pro- 
fessors are  all  chosen  from  the  foremost  rank  of  what- 
ever branch  of  study  they  adopt.  The  college  is  formed 
upon  the  principles  of  similar  institutions  in  England, 
and,  if  they  take  proper  advantage  of  the  benefits  to  be 
acquired  there,  the  Californian  youth  should  be  second 
to  none.  The  building  itself  is  of  handsome  red  brick, 
massive  and  simple  in  its  architecture.  It  lies  at  the 
base  of  the  foothills,  surrounded  by  a  luxurious  growth 


ON    THE    BAXKS    OF    THE    BAT.  221 

of  green,  and  it  forms  a  principal  feature  in  the  land- 
scape for  miles  round.  Oakland  and  Berkeley  seem  to 
run  hand  in  hand  till  they  are  lost  and  buried  in  the 
green  hillsides.  Many  of  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco 
make  their  homes  in  those  attractive  suburbs,  which  lie 
about  eight  miles  across  the  bay.  Magnificent  ferry- 
boats,  decorated  with  mirrors,  carving,  and  gilding, 
with  luxurious  lounges  and  velvet  carpets,  ply  to  and 
fro  every  half-hour  during  the  day.  Alameda,  St. 
Quentin,  and  many  other  sylvan  retreats  are  settled 
down  in  cosy  nooks  scattered  round  the  bay,  all  being 
equally  attractive  and  easy  of  access. 

One  bright  February  morning,  when  the  bay  is  as 
smooth  as  glass  and  a  score  or  two  of  vessels  with 
sails  all  set  to  catch  what  little  breeze  is  stirring 
are  floating  like  white  birds  on  the  face  of  the  water, 
and  the  sky  wears  its  Californian  livery  of  intense  blue, 
we  start  to  spend  a  long  day  at  Saucelito,  which  lies  in 
quite  an  opposite  direction  across  the  bay.  We  watch 
the  steep  streets  of  the  city  (the  people  passing  to  and 
fro,  the  vehicles  crawling  up  and  down  are  dwarfed  to 
the  size  of  dolls  and  toy  carriages)  recede  from  our 
view.  We  pass  by  "the  silent  guns  of  Alcatras"  ;  they 
are  muzzled,  masked,  and  silent  now,  like  lions  couchant 
and  asleep,  but  should  danger  threaten  that  city  of  the 
sunland  they  would  rouse  up  and  roar  as  loudly  as  in 
days  gone  by.  Small  green  islets,  some  sparsely  in- 
habited, others  the  solitary  home  of  the  waterfowl,  are 
scattered  round  the  fortified  island.  These,  with  the 
richly  wooded  hills  surrounding  this  part  of  the  bay 
give  a  picturesque  beauty  to  the  scene.  The  briny 
breeze,  laden  with  three  thousand  miles  of  iodine, 
sweeps  through  the  Golden  Gate,  and  as  we  breathe 


222  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

this  health-giving  air  our  pulse  quickens  and  we  feel 
we  are  taking  a  lease  of  a  ne'w  life,  and  as  though 
lassitude  of  limb  or  weariness  of  heart  could  afflict  us 
never  any  more.  There  is  a  glorious  sunshine  over- 
head, and  we  look  out  through  the  Grolden  Grate  at  the 
silvery  Pacific  stretching  away  and  lying  like  a  bar 
across  the  distant  sky,  while  behind  us  a  chain  of  soft 
green  and  purple  hills  embrace  the  peaceful  Bay.  The 
fresh  invigorating  wind  sets  our  cheeks  aglow,  and 
our  spirits  seem  to  rise  on  invisible  wings.  We  feel  it 
is  a  glorious  thing  to  live.  Life  is  worth  the  living 
while  there  are  such  days  and  hours  to  enjoy,  and  our 
hearts  sing  their  voiceless  song  of  thanksgiving,  which 
only  God  can  hear. 

The  boat  slackens  speed.  We  have  been  so  occu- 
pied by  the  extensive  land  and  sea  views  that  we  have 
failed  to  cast  our  eyes  towards  the  sheltered  nook  we 
are  now  fast  approaching.  We  seem  to  have  come 
suddenly  upon  a  delicious  bit  of  Italian  scenery  trans- 
planted to  this  far  corner  of  the  Western  World.  The 
richly  wooded  land  rises  before  us,  clothed  in  its  glory 
of  luxuriant  green.  A  few  tiny  cottages  are  strewn 
along  the  bay  shore,  and  we  catch  glimmerings  of 
white-faced,  red-tiled  dwellings,  hidden  here  and  there 
among  the  trees  on  the  sloping  hillsides.  Two  or 
three  drowsy  officials  are  lounging  about  the  landing- 
stage,  and  a  shabby-looking  vehicle,  with  a  skeleton 
steed,  stands  baking  in  the  hot  sun,  waiting  for  pas- 
sengers. But  there  is  no  one  else  about,  no  sign  of 
humanity  abroad,  everything  is  quiet  and  peaceful 
everywhere  ;  it  seems  as  though  nature  had  taken  all 
her  living  children  in  her  arms  and  lulled  them  to  sleep 
in  the  sunshine. 


ON    THE    BANKS    OF    THE    BAY.  223 

We  climb  into  the  vehicle  aforesaid,  and  begin 
slowly  ascending  the  undulating  hillside.  It  is  a  lovely, 
winding  road,  with  luxuriant  trees,  flowering  shrubs, 
and  sweet-smelling  wild  flowers  sloping  away  from  us 
on  the  one  side,  and  climbing  up  the  gradual  ascent  on 
the  other.  The  brisk  breeze  which  had  swept  so  keen 
and  invigorating  through  the  Golden  Gate  dies  away 
here  into  a  murmuring  soft  and  low,  making  music  in 
the  tall  tree-tops,  stirring  the  leafy  branches,  and 
coquetting  with  the  wealth  of  wild  roses.  Here  and 
there  we  come  upon  some  quaint,  fanciful  dwelling 
peeping  out  from  a  bower  of  green,  the  gardens  run- 
ning out  in  unconfined  loveliness,  as  though  they  were 
proud  to  show  their  blooming  progeny  to  the  passing 
world  outside. 

There  is  no  such  thing  in  America  as  hedging 
and  walling  in  private  grounds  for  the  solitary  grati- 
fication of  the  owner  only.  Everything  is  liberally 
and  lavishly  thrown  open  for  all  the  world  to  see, 
and  in  so  much,  the  poorest  tramp  trudging  along 
the  road,  or  the  poorest  labourer  in  the  field,  shares  his 
more  fortunate  neighbour's  wealth,  and  may  enjoy  the 
luxury  of  the  rich  man's  pleasure-gardens,  even  as  the 
rich  man  shares  with  him  the  sunshine  God  freely 
gives  to  all.  Although,  according  to  the  division  of 
time,  it  is  early  spring,  it  might  be  blooming  summer- 
time, for  here  it  is  the  very  carnival  of  flowers ;  they 
are  everywhere  growing  in  such  glorious  profusion,  too. 
The  dainty  plants,  such  as  geraniums,  fuchsias,  myrtles, 
roses,  etc.,  which  we  are  accustomed  to  see  flowering  in 
pots  or  perhaps  growing  two  or  three  feet  from  the 
ground,  here  expand  into  monstrous  bushes  or  tall 
graceful  trees.  We  have  stood  under  a  geranium  tree 


224  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

and  looked  up,  through  its  wealth  of  scarlet  blossoms, 
at  the  blue  sky  beyond.  Camelias,  orchids,  and  other 
delicate  plants  and  shrubs  bloom  out  in  the  open  air, 
laden  with  a  gorgeous  display  of  dainty  flowers.  We 
counted  one  hundred  and  ten  waxen  white  camelias 
on  one  tree  alone,  and  were  lost  in  admiration  of 
the  California  Acacia,  which  flung  out  its  golden 
banners  on  every  side,  its  soft  fluffy  blossoms,  like 
plumes  of  fairy  feathers,  hiding  every  trace  of  the 
green  leaves  which  gave  them  such  fostering  shelter 
only  a  few  weeks  ago.  We  wound  our  way  slowly 
through  this  romantic  Arcadian  scenery ;  there  were  no 
wanderers,  no  tourists,  no  tramps  astir  ;  the  narrow 
winding  road  was  solitary  enough,  except  for  once 
or  twice,  when  we  overtook  a  batch  of  women,  in  short 
petticoats  and  sun-bonnets,  trotting  along  singing,  in 
not  unmusical  voices,  to  beguile  the  way.  Our  skeleton 
steed,  jingling  his  bells  as  though  to  advertise  to  the 
world  how  much  work  he  was  doing,  suddenly  pulled 
up  at  the  foot  of  a  rugged  green  bank,  broken  with 
rustic  steps,  leading  up  to  a  kind  of  "  Glen  Eyrie  "  or 
eagle's  nest,  half  hidden  in  the  rugged  hillside.  This 
was  our  destination ;  we  climbed  up  the  rough-hewn 
steps  and  found  ourselves  at  the  entrance-gate  of  a 
pretty  white  cottage  with  a  verandah  literally  covered 
with  creeping  plants  running  along  in  front  of  it. 

Our  hostess  came  out  to  greet  us — a  sweet,  grave- 
looking  woman,  whose  smiling  eyes  had  a  shade  of 
something  in  them,  as  though,  in  some  invisible  part 
of  her  nature,  there  was 

"  A  feeling  of  sadness  and  longing 

That  is  not  akin  to  pain ; 
Which  resembles  sorrow  only 
As  the  mist  resembles  rain." 


OX    THE   BANKS    OF    THE    BAY.  225 

She  formed  a  pretty  picture,  standing  there  beneath 
her  trailing  vines  to  welcome  us  wanderers  from  the 
Old  World.  We  followed  her  into  a  long,  low-roofed, 
comfortable  room,  with  chairs  and  lounges  covered 
with  the  skins  of  animals ;  cases  of  rare  birds,  and 
butterflies,  and  natural  curiosities  of  all  descriptions 
were  arranged  on  all  sides  ;  gatherings  of  great  rarity 
from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  realms  of  the  air,  and  the 
depths  of  the  sea,  spoils  from  the  very  heart  of  nature 
were  arranged  in  every  nook  and  corner.  Both  within 
and  without  the  house  everything  was  quaint,  pic- 
turesque, and  suggestive  of  Old  World  fancies. 

Our  hostess  was  one  of  those  women  to  whom  Pope 
alludes  as 

"  Mistress  of  herself  though  china  fall." 

It  appears  we  had  mistaken  our  day.  We  should 
have  put  in  an  appearance  the  day  before,  when  all 
preparations  had  been  made  for  our  entertainment. 
Now  the  lady  was  alone,  absolutely  alone  in  the 
house.  Her  Chinese  servants  (they  all  employ  China- 
men here)  had  gone  to  participate  in  some  national 
festivity,  and  the  sudden  irruption  of  half  a  dozen 
unexpected  guests  must  have  been  trying  to  the  nerves 
of  our  solitary  hostess.  We  ought  to  have  grovelled 
in  the  dust,  but  didn't.  She  was  equal  to  the  occasion, 
and,  in  a  genial,  pleasant  way,  made  us  feel  quite  at 
home — as  though,  indeed,  we  could  not  have  come  at  a 
better  season.  We  all  enjoyed  the  idea  of  a  general 
picnic,  improvised  on  the  spot,  and,  amid  much  chatter, 
laughter,  and  the  mildest  of  mild  jokes,  there  was  a 
stampede  towards  the  larder ;  but  the  idle  drones  and 
butterflies  of  the  party  (whose  offers  of  assistance  in 
the  culinary  department  were  wisely  declined)  went 


226  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

wandering  about  the  wilderness  of  a  garden  and 
strayed  out  into  the  sweet-scented  woods  beyond, 
looking  down  through  the  tangled  branches  upon  the 
shining  bay  below.  A  perfect  paradise  this  Saucelito 
seemed  to  us,  made  up  of  flowers,  and  peace,  and 
sunshine ;  a  fitting  birthplace  for  romance  ;  the  cradle 
of  poetry,  where  fine  thoughts  are  nursed  till  they 
burst  out  into  full-fledged  phrases,  and  fly  abroad,  and 
stir  the  soul  of  the  world  with  their  wise  philosophy  or 
tender  song.  Presently  the  melancholy  voice  of  the 
horn  carne  moaning  through  the  woods,  calling  us  to 
return.  We  knew  what  that  meant,  and  were  not 
slow  in  obeying  the  summons,  taking  with  us  such 
healthy  appetites  as  would  have  digested  the  sole  of  an 
old  shoe  if  dressed  to  taste. 

We  found  our  way  into  the  kitchen,  where  the 
feast  was  spread.  It  was  not  a  commonplace  kitchen, 
where  the  whole  culinary  battery  is  unmasked  and  its 
mysteries  are  carried  on  before  your  very  eyes,  and 
clatter  of  pans  and  frizzle  and  frying  take  away  your 
appetite  without  opposition  on  your  part.  This  was  a 
poetical  kitchen,  with  no  signs  of  prose  about  it; 
coppers  bright  as  mirrors  reflected  you  from  the  walls, 
multiplied  you  by  scores,  till  the  room  seemed  full  of 
your  shadows.  Quaint  old  china  decorated  the  dressers; 
bunches  of  the  beautiful  pampas  grass  and  vases  of 
wild  flowers  were  ranged  upon  the  shelves.  The 
most  useful  articles  were  of  an  ornamental  character. 
Standing  in  one  corner  was  a  shining  black,  quaintly 
designed  stove,  with  bright  brass  knobs  and  decorated 
scrolls,  polished  to  the  highest  point  of  polishing,  like 
a  black  prince  with  "  gilded  honours  thick  upon  him." 
His  fiery  eye  was  closed ;  he  had  done  his  work 


ON    THE    BANKS    OF    THE    BAY.  227 

and  was  at  rest.  From  the  bowels  of  this  gnome  had 
been  conjured  the  dainty  repast  which  awaited  our 
attack.  A  table  spread  with  fine  linen,  rare  glass, 
and  quaint  old  china,  such  as  would  have  made  a 
collector's  mouth  water,  was  ranged  along  one  side  of 
the  room.  As  for  the  repast,  it  was  a  recherche  thing, 
that  might  have  tickled  the  palate  of  an  epicure. 
There  were  broiled  chickens,  crisp  salad,  mayonaise, 
and  such  rich,  luscious  fruit  and  cream,  with  lovely 
flowers  and  trailing  smilax  nestled  among  them.  The 
very  wine,  as  it  was  poured  out  into  the  Venetian 
vine-stemmed  glasses,  seemed  to  bubble  and  sparkle 
and  cream  over,  as  though  it  quite  enjoyed  being 
drank  out  of  such  rare  prettiness.  We  kept  the  door 
which  led  into  the  garden  wide  open.  The  tall  calla 
lilies  bent  their  fair  heads,  and  the  saucy  red  roses, 
blushing  at  their  own  beauty,  sent  their  perfumed 
breath  wandering  towards  us,  fluttering  their  tender 
leaves  as  though  to  frighten  away  the  droning  bees, 
who  would  rifle  their  sweets  before  our  eyes.  A  whole 
squadron  of  familiar  shrubs  and  flowers  were  gathered 
thickly  round  them,  and  they  shook  out  their  rustling 
leaves,  nodded  their  fragile  heads,  and  stared  in  at  us 
with  their  white  and  violet  eyes.  We  stared  back  and 
thought  how  lovely  and  refreshing  it  all  was. 

Our  day  in  this  modern  Arcadia  passed  quickly, 
too  quickly ;  we  would  fain  have  put  on  the  drag  and 
kept  it  for  awhile.  The  purple  mist  began  to  fall 
over  the  mountain-sides  as  we  started  on  our  way 
homeward  through  a  beautiful  wide  canon,  fringed 
with  graceful  ferns  and  tall  stately  trees,  screening 
from  our  sight  the  light  of  the  setting  sun ;  a  poor 
little  wandering  stream  crept  in  and  out  among  the 


228  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

broken  boulders,  as  though  it  was  tired  and  wanted  to 
rest  somewhere,  and  was  trying  to  find  its  way  to  the 
great  sea ;  once  absorbed  in  the  everlasting  waters 
there  would  be  peace,  or  it  might  chance  to  filter  its 
way  down  to  the  hearts  of  the  dead  men  who  lie  there 
shrouded  in  weeds  waiting  for  eternity.  We  were  late 
in  reaching  the  boat,  for  we  had  been  tempted  to  linger 
by  the  way  ;  the  bell  was  ringing  and  we  had  scarcely 
stepped  on  board  the  boat,  when  the  engine  gave  a 
great  satisfactory  snort,  swung  round  and  started. 

The  sun  had  already  sunk  behind  the  hills,  and  the 
shades  of  twilight  were  rapidly  closing  around  us,  but 
the  red  clouds  were  still  floating  in  the  west,  and 
ragged  banners  and  broken  bars  of  gold  still  streamed 
through  the  darkening  skies.  It  was  quite  dark  when 
we  reached  San  Francisco  ;  we  saw  the  lights  in  her 
.steep  streets,  and  the  fiery  eye  of  the  dummy  dashing 
up  and  down,  and  the  red  and  white  car  lights  flashing 
hither  and  thither  like  fireflies ;  truly  she  looked  like 
a  queen  gorgeously  arrayed,  flashing  her  diamonds  of 
living  light  in  the  face  of  the  sombre  night. 


(     229     ) 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

IN    THE    FOREST   PRIMEVAL. 

Pleasant  Retreats — Californian  Trees — Canon  and  Forest  Scenery — 
Duncan  Mills — A  Stormy  Evening — The  Eedwoods — Farewell 
to  the  "  Golden  City." 

THERE  is  so  much  that  is  beautiful,  and  of  a  most 
varied  kind  of  beauty,  from  the  magnificent  and  sub- 
lime to  the  pretty  and  picturesque,  all  along  the  won- 
derful Pacific  Coast,  and  reaching  inland  to  rivers  and 
mountains,  you  might  spend  many  months  there  and 
not  have  time  to  exhaust,  nor  even  to  thoroughly 
enjoy,  them  all,  but  to  those  whose  time  is  limited  it 
is  difficult  to  know  what  to  do  with  it ;  but  there  are 
some  places  which  must  be  visited,  some  things  which 
must  be  seen.  There  are  the  orange  groves  of  Los 
Angeles,  where  you  wander  for  miles  through  forests 
of  golden  fruit,  which,  in  this  month  of  February, 
have  just  reached  perfection,  and  are  ready  for  the 
gathering.  Men,  women,  and  children  are  busy  at 
their  work,  piling  the  dainty  fruit  in  bushel  baskets, 
with  such  delicate  handling  that  not  a  bruise  shall 
fleck  the  smooth  gold  skin,  while  the  air  is  literally 
laden  with  the  pungent  perfume.  Some  of  the  fruit 
grows  to  an  immense  size,  as  large  as  melons,  but 


230  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

what  they  gain  in  size  they  lose  in  flavour  ;  in  fact, 
it  is  so  with  the  generality  of  Californian  fruits,  which 
are  magnificent  to  look  at,  both  as  to  size,  form,  and 
colour,  but  they  seem  to  have  outgrown  their  strength 
and  weakened  their  flavour,  for  it  is  very  inferior  to 
that  of  the  same  kind  of  fruit  which  is  grown  in  the 
Eastern  States.  Of  course  there  are  exceptions,  but 
I  refer  to  the  rule. 

San  Joaquin  and  San  Jose  are  the  most  wonderfully 
prolific  wheat-growing  countries,  perhaps,  in  the  world. 
The  grain  grows  so  tall,  so  heavy  and  full,  that  the 
tasselled  ears  droop  and  seem  toppling  over  from  their 
own  weight.  These  miles  of  fair  fruitful  lands  lay 
rolling  out  from  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  catching 
every  gleam  of  sunshine,  absorbing  every  breeze  that 
blows.  Thriving  farms  are  scattered  throughout 
these  valleys ;  on  all  sides  there  are  vineyards,  grain 
fields,  orchards,  and  extensive  cattle  ranches ;  signs  of 
thrift  and  prosperity  are  evident  everywhere.  It  is 
very  pleasant  to  pass  through  these  highly  cultivated 
lands,  where  civilization  has  left  her  mark  in  such 
unmistakable  characters ;  but  Nature  in  her  wilder 
stages,  amid  her  kingly  rivers,  her  lakes,  her  unap- 
proachable mountains  and  untrodden  forests,  is  more 
sublimely  impressive. 

We  were  anxious  to  visit  Yosemite  Valley  and  the 
Mariposa  Grove  of  big  trees,  but  that  was  impossible, 
the  valley  being  still  snowed  up,  and  the  roads  leading 
thereto  rough  and  almost  impassable.  In  order  to  be 
thoroughly  enjoyable  a  pleasure  excursion  to  the 
Yosemite  Yalley  should  be  taken  from  early  June 
until  late  October ;  during  these  months  the  mag- 
nificent scenery  of  this  wonderful  valley  is  seen  in 


IX   THE    FOREST    PRIMEVAL.  231 

the  highest  perfection.  Of  course  there  are  many 
adventurous  spirits  who  make  the  tour  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year,  and  force  their  way  into  the  valley  when 
it  is  clothed  with  icicles  and  crowned  with  snow.  As 
we  must,  perforce,  miss  the  Yosemite  for  this  year  at 
least,  we  decide  on  a  visit  to  the  Eedwood  Forest  in 
Sonoma  County.  Once  more  we  cross  the  bay,  pass 
on  the  other  side  of  Alcatraz,  and  thread  our  way 
through  the  green  islets  surrounding  it  till  we  are 
landed  at  St.  Quentin ;  thence  we  take  our  tickets  for 
Duncan  Mills — the  railway  station  is  close  to  the  land- 
ing stage.  It  is  a  narrow-gauge  line  ;  the  carriages 
or  cars  are  long  and  narrow ;  we  can  only  sit  three 
abreast.  It  looks  like  a  train  of  tiny  toy  carriages,  but 
our  bright  little  engine  is  up  to  its  work,  and  carries 
us  on  in  a  swift,  spirited  way,  as  though  it  was  taking 
a  holiday  on  its  own  account,  not  at  all  on  ours.  It 
looks  like  a  serpent  winding  its  way  through  a  para- 
dise of  luxuriant  green.  We  run  alongside  of  Tomales 
Bay,  nay,  run  into  it,  and  cross  its  long  arms  more 
than  once.  Scores  of  wild  ducks  and  geese  are 
skimming  along  the  face  of  the  water.  On  one  side 
of  the  bay  is  a  range  of  low-lying  hills,  while  our 
little  train  is  puffing  along  on  the  other  close  under 
the  shadow  of  massive  gray  rocks,  with  skeleton  trees 
^and  stumpy  bushes  growing  out  of  their  broken  sides. 
"We  pass  the  pretty  fishing  village  of  Tomales,  and 
some  few  queer-looking  hovels,  on  the  edge  of  the  bay, 
inhabited  by  Indians,  for  the  squaws  and  little  brown 
children  are  grouped  under  the  eaves  mending  nets 
or  making  willow-baskets.  We  soon  leave  the  bay 
behind  us,  and  pass  by  picturesque  villages  nestling 
peacefully  among  the  foothills,  and  here  and  there  a 


3h 

I 

re 


232  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

half-ruined  deserted  dwelling  at  the  mouth  of  a  deep 
canon,  which  leads  hundreds  of  miles  away  into  the 
wilds  where  the  brown  bear  feels  safe  from  the  hunter 
and  the  young  wolves  bay  the  moon  at  night.  We 
cross  deep  ravines  upon  narrow  trellis-work  which 
would  have  made  us  shudder  in  the  old  days.  Pre- 
sently we  find  ourselves  running  along  the  base 
thickly  wooded  hills,  with  their  wealth  of  strange! 
beautiful  trees,  which  were  new  to  our  eyes.  Here 
are  a  group  of  Madrono  trees,  with  their  orange- 
coloured  bark,  sometimes  deepening  to  crimson,  but 
always  shining  and  smooth  as  polished  ivory,  their  red 
veins  running  like  graceful  lacework  through  their 
leaves  of  tender  green.  These  lovely  trees  will  flourish 
nowhere  but  in  their  native  woods.  All  known 
methods  have  been  tried  to  raise  them  in  ornamental 
grounds,  but  they  obstinately  refuse  to  take  root ;  in 
spite  of  the  tenderest  care  they  droop  and  die.  Then 
comes  the  Manzanita,  with  its  pale-green  leaves  and 
delicate  pink  blossoms,  drooping  in  bunches  so  close 
to  us  we  could  reach  out  our  hands  and  pluck  them 
as  we  pass.  We  are  going  now  at  only  the  rate  of 
ten  miles  an  hour,  and  the  conductor  occasionally  gets 
off  the  train  and  runs  alongside,  gathering  flowers  or 
specimen  leaves  for  us  till  we  are  overladen.  Higher 
up  the  hillsides  stand  whole  families  of  ash  and  poplar,, 
looking  as  fresh  and  green  as  the  hand  of  spring  could 
paint  them.  Here,  grim  and  hoary,  rise  a  company 
of  live  oaks,  their  ragged  mossy  robes  scarce  covering 
their  long  straggling  limbs,  but  hanging  all  over  them 
like  a  jagged  fringe  or  gray  beard  matted  and  falling 
from  its  bald  head,  twisting  and  writhing  round  it  as 
though  to  strangle  the  little  life  that  lingered  in  its 


IN    THE    FOREST    PRIMEVAL.  233 

;  gnarled  and  knotted  trunk.  The  scene  changes,  and, 
;  glancing  across  on  the  other  side  of  the  bed  of  the 
!  Eussian  River,  we  see  the  fir  and  pine  trees  growing 
in  dense  dark  masses,  with  here  and  there  a  clump  of 
golden  trees,  like  yellow  islands  in  a  sombre  sea  of 
green.  Presently  we  reach  the  forest,  drive  into  it 
and  through  it  for  many  miles ;  the  dark  trees,  grown 
so  straight  and  tall  and  strong  in  their  native  soli- 
tudes, close  round  us  on  every  side.  Looking  upward 
we  can  scarcely  see  the  sky,  and  the  sun  tries  hard  to 
fight  its  way  down  through  the  branches,  but  only 
succeeds  in  sending  a  bright  lance  here  and  there  to 
smite  the  ground  we  are  rolling  over.  Then  the 
forest,  on  one  side  at  least,  falls  back  and  climbs  the 
sloping  hills  on  our  left.  On  our  right  lies  the  Russian 
River,  which  has  followed  us  all  along,  winding  its 
way  through  the  dense  forest,  playing  hide-and-seek 
with  the  sun ;  sometimes  with  silent,  secret  persistency 
forcing  its  way  through  broken  boulders  and  other 
natural  impediments  which  hinder  its  progress ;  then, 
dividing  its  forces,  creeping  stealthily  through  narrow 
crevices  till  it  unites  again  with  double  strength,  and 
storms  its  way  onward  till  it  reaches  a  low-lying  rocky 
ledge,  and  sweeps  over  with  a  thunderous  roar  and 
falls  into  its  bed  below.  It  is  all  right  now,  and  its 
swirling  waters  roll  on,  leaping  and  laughing  in  the 
sunshine,  on  their  smooth  and  pleasant  journey  towards 
the  sea.  Here  and  there  we  pass  a  wooden  house  lying 
upon  its  side  in  the  bed  of  the  river.  Some  of  these 
capsized  cottages  are  entire,  as  though  they  had  merely 
toppled  over  ;  some  are  dilapidated  and  broken  like 
match-boxes.  We  wonder  how  they  got  there,  and  are 
told  that  a  few  months  ago  the  river  rose  fifty-four  feet, 


234  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

overflowing  its  banks,  and,  rushing  in  its  mad,  head- 
long course  through  the  country,  swept  all  before  it, 
leaving  the  debris  where  it  still  remained,  some  lodging 
on  the  banks  and  some  lying  in  the  bed  of  the  river. 
The  wreckage  of  homes  and  lands  are  strewn  for  miles 
along  the  river's  course.  We  had  but  one  fellow- 
passenger  through  all  this  journey,  and  he  was 
shrouded  in  self-complacency  and  a  linen-duster.  He 
sat  with  his  hat  pulled  over  his  eyes,  and  his  nose 
buried  in  a  book  ;  he  never  once  looked  out  on  the 
grand  scenery  we  were  passing  through ;  but  that  was 
Nature's  book,  perhaps  he  couldn't  understand  the 
language.  He  had  been  a  candidate  for  Congress,  we 
were  told,  and  failed  ;  if  he  had  been  a  candidate  for 
Napa  Asylum,  I  think  he'd  have  got  it. 

Duncan  Mills  is  the  terminus  ;  the  train  goes  no 
farther ;  it  lies  in  the  very  heart  of  the  forest.  It  is 
a  mere  station  ;  it  cannot  by  any  stretch  of  fancy  be 
called  a  village.  It  consists  of  one  handsome  resi- 
dence, the  home  of  Mr.  Duncan,  the  owner  of  the  great 
lumber  mill,  whence  the  station  takes  its  name.  The 
wood,  cut  down  some  miles  away,  where  they  are 
clearing  the  ground,  is  floated  down  the  Russian  River 
to  its  destination  here.  There  are  also  some  half-dozen 
cottages  for  the  lumbermen,  a  livery  stable,  where 
excellent  horses  and  carriages  may  be  had  for  excur- 
sions in  the  surrounding  country.  Of  course  wherever 
a  train  stops  there  must  be  a  hotel ;  here  is  one,  a 
pretty  rural-looking  place,  two  storeys  high,  with  a 
verandah  running  all  round  it,  externally  most  pleasant 
to  look  at,  and  the  interior  arrangements  render  it  a 
most  delightful  place  for  a  temporary  residence.  In 
summer  it  is  crowded  with  tourists,  who  are  sometimes 


IN  THE  FOREST  PRIMEVAL.  235 

so  charmed  with  the  picturesqueness  of  the  place  as  to 
settle  there  for  many  weeks,  and  season  after  season 
j  visit  it  again.  Its  surroundings  are  lovely  and  ro- 
;mantic  in  the  extreme,  mountain,  river,  and  forest 
;' scenery  lying  close  round  you.  It  was  the  off  season, 
jthe  tourists  had  not  yet  began  to  arrive,  consequently 
•'we  had  this  charming  primitive  hotel  all  to  ourselves  ; 
;  there  were  no  chambermaids,  no  Chinamen. 

"  We  arrange  things  on  a  different  plan  when  the 
real    season    begins,"    said    our    hostess,    a    pleasant- 
mannered,  sensible-looking  woman.     "  We  have  plenty 
of  waiters  and  that  kind   of  thing,  but  till  then  my 
I  daughter  and  I  manage  the  work  between  us." 

We  were  glad  to  have  arrived  at  a  season  when 
I  there  were  no  "  waiters  or  that  sort  of  thing ;  "  it  was 
pleasanter  to  be  waited  upon  by  our  landlady  and  her 
I  charming  young  daughter  than  by  a  pig-tailed  "Chinee" 
or  the  supercilious  white,  who  looks  as  though  he  was 
doing  you  a  favour  every  time  he  hands  you  your  soup. 
A  violent  storm  arose  on  the  evening  of  our  arrival. 
There  was  a  kind  of  haze  over  the  sky,  and  the  sun 
set  with  a  heavy  mist  circling  round  it.  We  looked 
out  and  watched  the  gathering  shades  of  evening  creep 
down  the  sable-skirted  pine  forest,  and  were  struck  by 
the  intense  silence ;  the  invisible  insect  world  seemed 
suddenly  to  have  sank  to  rest ;  there  was  not  a  sound 
on  the  earth  nor  a  tremulous  motion  in  the  air.  A 
black  darkness  by  degrees  overspread  the  heavens,  and 
big  raindrops  began  to  fall  faster  and  faster,  splashing 
on  the  verandah  outside.  The  wind,  from  a  low  sullen 
murmur,  swelled  to  a  perfect  gale ;  we  heard  it  sweep- 
ing down  the  defiles  and  hurrying  along  the  hillsides, 
shrieking  like  a  company  of  fiends,  surging  round  and 


236  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

battling  with  the  big  trees  till  they  groaned  and  reeled 
and  shivered  beneath  the  assaults  of  its  fierce,  strong 
breath.  The  rain  increased  to  a  perfect  avalanche  of 
water,  as  though  it  would  drown  us  and  send  us 
floating  down  the  Russian  Eiver.  A  dimly  lighted 
room  in  a  strange  hotel  was  not  a  comfortable  location 
for  a  stormy  night.  Our  landlady  invited  us  into  the 
family  sitting-room,  where  there  was  a  big  blazing 
wood  fire ;  we  drew  our  chairs  round  it  and  sat  rocking 
in  a  lazy,  listless  way,  listening  to  the  storm  without 
and  enjoying  the  comfortable  scene  within.  The 
mistress  of  the  house  sat  sewing  by  the  light  of  a 
softly  shaded  lamp,  while  her  daughter  was  busily 
engaged  arranging  some  dried  ferns  and  flowers. 
Presently  the  door  opened,  and  a  tall  brown-bearded 
man,  a  perfect  type  of  the  strong  stout-hearted  fron- 
tiersman, with  top-boots,  frieze  coat,  and  leather 
breeches,  strode  into  the  room.  He  glanced  at  us  with 
a  pair  of  sharp  bright  eyes.  Mrs.  W-  — ,  with  a  half- 
introductory  smile,  said,  "  Mr.  Gr ,  our  express 

agent ;  he  lives  here  all  the  year  round."  He  drew  his 
chair  to  the  fire,  "  hoped  he  didn't  intrude."  He  apolo- 
gized for  his  presence,  we  apologized  for  ours,  and  in 
the  course  of  a  few  minutes  found  ourselves  engaged 
in  an  interesting  conversation.  They  knew  we  had 
come  from  England,  and  were  deeply  interested  in  all 
concerning  it.  We  would  rather  have  gathered  in- 
formation of  this  wild  Western  world,  teeming  as  it 
is  with  new  interests,  new  life  ;  but  their  thoughts 
were  directed  to  the  grave  Old  World  across  the  sea. 
Their  lives  were  saturated,  filled  to  overflowing,  with 
the  adventurous,  restless  spirit  that  permeates  their 
beautiful  land  ;  they  seemed  to  enjoy  the  distant  con- 


IN    THE    FOREST    PRIMEVAL.  237 

-templation  of  the  settled  dignity  and  steadfast  insti- 
tutions of  the  mother  country.     They  talked  of  the 
j  political  aspect  of  to-day  contrasted  with  that  of  the 
5  past,  and  argued  that  one  had  grown  out  of  the  other. 
In  the  course  of  conversation  there  were  allusions  to 
j  the  repeal  of  the  corn  laws,  the  passing  of  the  Reform 
|  Bill,  and  such  bygone  matters,  with  all  of  which  they 
were     perfectly    conversant.      They    discussed    Lord 
Palmerston's  foreign  policy  as  contrasted  with  that  of 
the   present,  and    were   strong   upon   the   ministerial 
difficulties  of  to-day,  insisting  that  the  then  Conserva- 
tive Government  would  go  out,  having  made  so  many 
and  such  disastrous  mistakes,  and  the  parliamentary 
I  ribbons  must  fall  into  Mr.  Gladstone's  hands.     They 
I  watch  our  political  movements  at  home  with  as  much 
'  interest  as  their  own  elections.     We  are  not  petticoat 
politicians,  and  occasionally  found  ourselves  flounder- 
ing out  of  our  depths;  it  is  as  much  as  we  can  do  to 
swim  on  the  surface  of  the  smoothest  political  waters, 
and   were   not   sorry  when   politics   went   down   and 
literature  came  up.     They  were  familiar,  the  handsome 
express  agent  especially  so,  with   our  old  dramatists 
and  popular  prose  writers,  and  discussed  their  works 
with  a  propriety  of  expression,  appreciation  of  subject, 
and  judicious  criticism  that  one  could  scarcely  expect 
to  find  in  these  latitudes.     There  was  a  strength  and 
originality  in  his  thoughts  and  expressions,  which  we 
seldom   find    in  what   is    called    "  cultivated   society," 
where    originality   of  any  kind    rarely  comes   to   the 
surface.     Towards  the   end   of  the  evening  our  host 
entered  the  room  quietly  and  gingerly,  as  though  he 
were  treading  on  eggs ;  he  seated  himself  on  the  very 
edge  of  his  chair,  clasped  his  hands  stiffly  on  his  knees, 


238  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

and  was  dumb ;  if  anything  struck  him  as  "  funny"  he 
opened  his  mouth,  let  a  laugh  escape,  and  shut  it 
again  with  a  snap.  Long  before  we  parted  for  the 
night  the  storm  was  over. 

The  morning  broke  calm  and  fair ;  no  sign  of  the 
last  night's  tempest  lingered  on  earth,  in  air,  or  sky, 
and  we  started  on  an  excursion  to  Austin  Creek,  a 
beautiful  romantic  spot,  about  four  miles  on  the  other 
side  of  the  forest. 

On  first  starting  from  Duncan  Mills  we  had  to 
ford  the  Russian  Kiver,  which  was  somewhat  swollen 
owing  to  the  heavy  rains  of  the  previous  night.  The 
horses  plunged  in,  and  before  they  had  taken  many 
steps  the  water  was  up  to  their  bellies  and  surged  over 
the  axletrees  of  the  carriage.  Instead  of  crossing  the 
river  direct,  our  driver  turned  and  drove  towards  the 
sea.  I  say  "  drove,"  but  he  merely  let  the  reins  lie  on 
the  horses'  necks  and  allowed  them  to  follow  their 
own  devices.  To  our  eyes,  looking  over  the  sides  of 
the  carriage,  it  seemed  as  though  we  were  being 
carried  away  by  the  strong  tide  that  was  flowing 
seawards.  We  glanced  at  our  driver's  face  ;  it  was 
perfectly  serene ;  he  was  evidently  master  of  the  situ- 
ation. In  answer  to  our  anxious  eyes  he  said, "  There's 
no  danger,  ladies ;  these  horses  have  swum  this  river 
when  it  was  sixteen  feet  deep." 

"  All  very  well  for  the  horses,"  I  replied,  "  but  the 
carriage  couldn't  swim  too."  After  going  about  a 
hundred  yards  down  the  river,  he  turned  the  horses' 
heads,  and  we  were  thankful  to  be  once  more  on 
dry  land.  Almost  immediately  we  plunged  into  the 
narrow  forest  paths,  which  are  rough  and  uneven,  and 
by  no  means  pleasant  to  travel  over,  especially  when 


IX  THE  FOREST  PRIMEVAL.  239 

|  we  come  to  a  piece  of  corduroy  road,  which  consists 
j  of  the  felled  trunks  of  trees,  laid  across,  and  partially 
j  sinking  into  a  muddy  Slough  of  Despond. 

We  are  so  bumped  and  bruised,  and  jolted  from  one 
side  to  the  other,  we  can  scarcely  breathe, — we  clutch 
the  carriage  sides, — we  cling  to  each  other,  and  when 
we  are  safe  over,  we  feel  our  limbs  to  see  if  there  is  not 
a  case  of  dislocation  somewhere.  For  nearly  two  hours 
we  drive  through  the  solemn  redwood  forest,  the  tall 
straight  trees  growing  like  an  army  around  us ;  there 
is  no  gentle  swaying  or  fluttering  of  branches  here; 
they  rise  high  above  our  heads,  and  twist  and  turn 
their  dark  masses  together,  shutting  out  the  light  of 
the  sun.  We  presently  come  to  a  part  of  the  forest 
more  densely  populated  with  its  silent  multitude,  where 
the  trees  grow  larger,  taller,  and  their  gnarled  roots 
force  their  way  upward,  and  lie,  like  writhing  serpents, 
petrified  on  the  ground.  The  sound  of  the  woodman's 
axe  has  never  echoed  through  this  solitude ;  it  is  a 
wild,  virgin  forest,  vast,  and  in  parts  almost  impene- 
trable. The  roughness  of  the  roads  detracts  somewhat 
from  the  pleasure  of  this  excursion,  though  on  arriving 
at  Austin  Creek  you  are  well  repaid  for  your  trouble. 
It  is  a  most  delightful  spot,  dreamy  and  romantic; 
you  feel  inclined  to  sit  there  by  the  bubbling  water, 
and  dream  the  long  day  through.  An  old  backwoods- 
man,— quite  a  character  in  his  way, — lives  in  a  pretty 
rustic  cottage  near  the  creek,  and  is  always  ready  to 
refresh  his  visitors  with  a  good  supply  of  lager  beer, 
tea,  coffee,  the  whitest  of  bread,  and  yellowest  of 
butter  ;  and,  perhaps  a  salmon  trout,  fresh  from  the 
stream,  to  add  flavour  to  the  simple  meal. 

We  made  sundry  other  excursions  in  the  beautiful 


240  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

neighbourhood  of  Duncan  Mills,  and  left  on  the  third 
day.  The  household  turned  out  to  walk  with  us  across 
to  the  station,  which  is  not  fifty  yards  from  the  hotel 
door ;  the  women  with  bright- coloured  kerchiefs  thrown 
over  their  heads ;  our  solemn,  silent  host  carrying  our 
valise ;  a  fat  sow,  with  a  young  litter  of  grunters ; 
two  huge  setters,  with  whom  we  had  made  great 
friends,  and  a  pig-tailed  Chinaman  bringing  up  the 
rear.  Our  kind  hostess  handed  us  a  dainty  basket  of 
fruit  and  sandwiches  as  we  shook  hands  all  round, 
and  said  "  good-bye."  Our  gallant  expressman,  too, 
put  in  an  appearance  at  the  last  moment ;  he  had  just 
time  to  wave  his  sombrero  and  wish  us  "  God  speed," 
when  our  smart  little  engine  gave  a  snort,  a  jerk, 
and  started  on  her  way. 

Beautiful  as  the  redwoods  are  in  this  locality,  they 
are  not  so  fine  as  the  redwoods  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Santa  Cruz,  which  is  one  of  the  loveliest  seaside 
resorts  on  that  part  of  the  coast.  The  road  to  these 
redwoods  is  a  most  attractive  one,  through  canons  filled 
with  trees,  all  stretching  their  long  arms  upwards 
ready  to  clutch  you  as  you  pass  by  ;  sparkling 
streams,  whose  waters  are  ever  flowing  round  spurs 
of  timbered  hills,  broken  with  gorges  and  deep  ravines, 
scars  of  an  earthquake  or  sabre-cuts  of  time  ;  then 
we  wind  along  the  steep  mountain-side,  looking  down 
upon  the  boiling  river,  which  is  rushing  among  the 
broken  boulders  below.  At  last  there  is  a  sharp  turn, 
and  rapid  descent  into  the  forest,  where  there  are  some 
magnificent  redwoods,  second  only  to  the  world-famous 
"  big  trees "  of  the  Calaveras  and  Mariposa  groves. 
We  are  soon  in  the  midst  of  them  ;  they  grow  so 
smooth,  so  straight,  and  high,  like  the  columns  of 


IN  THE  FOREST  PRIMEVAL.  241 

some  great  cathedral,  outspreading  and  uniting  .their 
leafy  crowns  like  a  groined  green  roof,  more  than  a 
hundred  feet  above  our  heads.  We  wander  through 
these  symmetrical,  silent  aisles,  —  the  triumph  of 
nature's  architectural  grandeur, — and  feel  inclined  to 
bow  our  heads  and  lift  our  hearts  heavenward. 

It  is  difficult  at  first  to  realize  the  dimensions  of 
these  giants  of  the  forest,  all  being  of  an  immense  size 
and  height.  There  is  no. contrast;  but  when  some  of 
our  party  went  to  measure  one  we  speedily  realized  its 
magnitude,  for  the  men  and  women  looked  like  animated 
dolls  parading  slowly  round  the  huge  trunk.  They 
measured  it  about  four  feet  from  the  ground,  and  ascer- 
tained that  it  was  more  than  seventy-five  feet  in  circum- 
ference. This  was  considered  one  of  the  largest.  We 
entered  into  one  hollow  trunk  where  General  Fremont 
had  taken  a  fortnight's  rest  during  his  arduous  expe- 
dition westwards.  After  he  had  vacated  this  sylvan 
retreat  a  man  with  a  wife  and  two  children  took  pos- 
session and  lived  there  for  two  years,  while  they  were 
gathering  together  money  and  materials  to  build'  them7 
selves  a  home  on  the  fringe  of  the  forest  about  three 
miles  eastward.  On  one  side  they  had  inserted  a  glass 
window,  which  is  still  there,  and,  strange  to  say, 
unbroken ;  in  another  place  they  had  cut  a  huge  round 
hole,  evidently  for  a  stovepipe  to  carry  off  the  smoke. 
One  very  fine  symmetrical  tree  was  clothed  to  the 
height  of  six  feet  with  visiting  cards,  stuck  on  with 
tin-tacks  !  We  wandered  for  some  hours  through  this 
sacred  solitude,  and  left  it  with  much  regret,  feeling  it 
was  perhaps  the  last  excursion  we  should  make  on  this 
side  of  the  Eocky  Mountains. 

We  return  to  San  Francisco,  and  somewhat  dole- 


242  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

fully  make  preparations  for  our  departure  from  this 
glorious  sunland ;  but  our  time  is  up,  and  the  longer 
we  stay  the  greater  will  grow  our  regrets.  We  spend 
our  last  few  days  in  paying  farewell  visits,  and  go 
through  that  melancholy  ceremony  with  satisfactory 
calm.  We  keep  our  lugubrious  feeling  deep  down  in 
our  hearts,  and  say  "  good-bye  "  with  smiling  faces. 
We  had  entered  San  Francisco  at  sunset ;  we  leave  it 
in  the  rosy  morning,  when  the  sun  is  shining  and 
flooding  the  beautiful  city  and  its  purple  hills  with 
golden  light.  A  host  of  our  kind  friends  escort  us 
across  the  bay.  Our  hearts  are  too  full  to  talk  much, 
so  with  eloquent  hand-clasps  and  brief  "  good-byes " 
we  part. 

The  huge  ferryboat  bears  them  back  to  their 
Golden  City,  which  fades  from  our  sight  in  a  mist,  a 
mist  that  blurs  it  in  our  eyes  only ;  then  the  great 
yellow  cars  of  the  Central  Pacific  bear  us  eastward. 
We  pass  through  the  Sacramento  Y  alley,  climb  once 
more  the  grand  Sierras,  and  California  fades  from  our 
sight,  and  is  fast  becoming  only  a  memory  and  a 
dream. 

To  all  those  who  are  in  search  of  health,  of  novelty, 
and  who  are  able  to  enjoy  the  noblest,  grandest,  and 
most  varied  scenery  this  world  can  boast,  I  would  say, 
"  Go  Westward,"  go  over  the  sea,  across  the  Eocky 
Mountains,  the  glorious  Sierras,  and  sit  down  at  the 
Golden  Gate  and  rest. 


(     243     ) 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

THE    SILVER   STATE. 

Snowed  in — Indians — Journey  to  Denver — A  Forage  for  a  Supper 
— "Crazed" — Domestic  Difficulties — Colorado  Springs — Chey- 
enne Canon— The  "Garden  of  the  Gods"— Ute  Pass— Glen 
Eyrie. 

ONCE  more  we  are  travelling  eastward.  It  is  early 
April,  and  in  the  land  we  have  left  the  earth  is 
wearing  her  gorgeous  spring  robes,  embroidered  with 
the  loveliest  and  brightest  of  wild  flowers ;  they  are 
everywhere,  they  cover  her  like  a  jewelled  mosaic  of 
crimson,  violet,  white,  and  gold.  Nowhere  is  there 
such  a  luxuriant  growth  of  wild  flowers  as  in  Cali- 
fornia. We  soon  begin  to  feel  that  we  have  left  the 
land  of  the  sun  behind  us.  The  weather  grows  cool, 
and  the  blue  skies  are  filled  with  floating  islands  of 
leaden  clouds.  At  Colfax,  which  we  reach  about  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  there  is  a  general  bustle  and 
confusion.  There  is  something  wrong  ahead  ;  every- 
body worries  every  body -with  inquiries  "What  is  the 
matter?"  and  we  learn,  to  our  chagrin,  that  the 
weight  of  snow  has  broken  in  a  thousand  feet  of  snow 
sheds  on  the  summit  of  the  Sierras.  We  are  shunted 
on  to  a  siding  where  we  are  to  remain  for  the  night, 


244  THROUGH    CITIES    AND  .PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

while  fifty  men  are  told  off  to  clear  the  road.  They 
come  swinging  down  upon  the  platform,  a  crowd  of 
strong,  weather-beaten  fellows,  while  the  moon,  shining 
like  a  white  ghost  amid  the  thunder-clouds  above, 
lights  up  their  swarthy  faces.  An  engine  and  truck  is 
soon  prepared.  They  swarm  into  it,  loaded  with  pick- 
axes and  shovels  ;  they  overflow  and  cling  wherever 
they  can  find  a  foothold  ;  and  the  engine,  with  a  huge 
snow-plough  as  big  as  a  house,  goes  snorting  and 
shrieking  on  its  way,  the  men  shouting  and  hurrahing 
as  it  bears  them  out  of  sight.  We  go  to  bed  some- 
what disconsolately ;  the  idea  of  being  "  snowed  in  "  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountains  is  not  pleasant,  and  we  look 
forward  anxiously  to  what  may  await  us  at  the  top. 
At  six  in  the  morning  it  is  telegraphed  "  All  clear," 
and  we  recommence  our  journey.  A  gray  mist 
has  rolled  over  the  Sierras,  and  shrouded  the  magni- 
ficent forest  in  a  gray  cloud  mantle  ;  we  look  down 
on  a  weird  world  of  shadows ;  here  and  there  a  gleam 
of  sunlight  breaks  out  from  the  gloomy  skies  and 
is  gone  in  a  moment.  lib  is  dreary  travelling  for  a 
while — a  gray  sky  above,  a  gray  world  below,  and  a 
gray  cloud  mist  falling  over  us  on  all  sides ;  but 
our  living  street  moves  slowly  with  slackened  speed 
through  all.  We  settle  down  in  a  comfortable  palace 
car,  and  with  a  chosen  few  of  our  fellow-passengers 
form  quite  a  pleasant  coterie.  We  visit  each  other's 
sections,  passing  freely  from  one  car  to  another ;  we 
read,  chat,  tell  anecdotes  (some  of  us  had  quite  a  gift 
that  way),  and  keep  the  ball  of  conversation  rolling 
pretty  briskly  ;  when  our  wits  are  exhausted  we  take 
refuge  in  the  inevitable  fifteen  puzzle. 

In  the  evening  we  had  our  section  lighted,  and  played 


THE    SILVER   STATE.  245 

a  solemn  game  of  whist,  or  were  initiated  into  the 
mysteries  of  euchre,  or  watched 'the  rollicking  game  of 
poker  being  carried  on  by  a  merry  party  in  the  oppo- 
site section. 

The  weather  changed,  the  clouds  lifted,  and  the 
next  morning  we  found  ourselves  once  more  ascending 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  which  struck  us  with  an  idea  of 
even  greater  sublimity,  now  that  the  novelty  of  our 
first  view  had  worn  off.  The  sun  shone  brilliantly,  and 
an  intense  blue  sky  bent  over  us  as  we  slowly  wound 
our  way  through  the  lovely  God-created  world  of  stone 
where  no  man  dwells.  At  Elko,  and  sundry  other 
mountain  stations,  the  Indians  came  down  to  see  the 
trains  pass.  There  were  braves  of  all  ages,  with  their 
squaws  and  pappoose  staring  in  silent  stolidity  at  the 
bustling  scene.  They  were  evidently  got  up  for  effect. 
The  women  wore  striped  blankets  pinned  round  their 
bodies,  and  bright  handkerchiefs  or  shawls  over  their 
heads.  Their  long  matted  hair  streamed  over  their 
shoulders,  sometimes  over  their  eyes ;  and  they  had 
added  to  their  natural  attractions  by  blotches  of  coarse 
red  paint  daubed  on  the  dark  faces.  The  men  were, 
on  the  whole,  more  gaily  dressed  and  painted  than  the 
women.  One  especially  attracted  our  attention.  He 
was  evidently  a  "  buck  "  of  the  first  water.  He  wore 
a  blue  blanket  wrapped  round  him,  and  on  his  head 
a  broad-brimmed  ragged  felt  hat,  with  a  mass  of  blue 
feathers  drooping  on  his  shoulders.  The  men  stood  in 
groups,  solemnly  regarding  us  with  their  big  black 
eyes,  still  as  statues ;  the  women  squatted  on  the  plat- 
form or  peeped  at  us  from  round  corners.  It  was  not 
exactly  pleasant,  but  very  interesting  to  find  ourselves 
amid  a  score  or  two  of  this  savage  race,  the  men 


246  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

all  armed  with  guns  and  knives.  Some  of  them  got 
on  to  the  train  (all  Indians  are  allowed  to  ride  free, 
getting  on  and  off  as  they  please :  they  never  ride  in 
cars  with  the  other  passengers,  but  on  the  steps  or  in 
the  baggage  van)  and  went  with  us  to  the  next  station. 
After  a  run  of  five  days  we  reach  Denver  City, 
capital  of  the  Silver  State  of  Colorado.  It  is  near 
midnight  as  we  roll  through  the  silent  streets  and 
stop  at  the  Grand  Central  Hotel,  whose  doors  are 
hospitably  open  to  receive  us.  We  are  tired  and 
hungry.  We  had  reserved  a  good  appetite,  intending 
to  dine  at  Cheyenne,  where  we  knew  we  should 
get  a  luxurious  meal;  but  as  we  desired  to  push  on 
to  Denver  that  night,  and  there  was  no  connecting 
train  at  Cheyenne  proper,  we  turned  off  at  the  junction, 
and  having  missed  our  dinner  reach  Denver  in  a  semi- 
exhausted  state.  A  solitary  black  porter,  all  smiles, 
relieves  us  of  our  hand-baggage,  and  shows  us  to 
a  clean  comfortable  room  on  the  third  floor,  the  only 
unoccupied  room  in  the  house.  It  was  fortunate  we 
telegraphed,  or  we  should  not  have  had  that.  The 
house  is  crowded,  the  town  is  crowded ;  people  are 
pouring  in  and  out  every  day  on  their  way  to  and 
from  "  Leadville,"  a  city  that  has  grown  up  in  two 
years,  and  has  churches,  banks,  waterworks,  stage 
roads  cut  out  of  a  wilderness,  and  thirty  thousand 
inhabitants.  Mines  are  open,  shafts  sunken,  and 
thousands  of  workers  are  digging  in  the  bowels  of 
the  earth,  searching  for  gold  and  silver — finding  it,  too. 
We  ask  for  supper.  We  cannot  have  anything  till 
the  morning.  The  cook  has  gone ;  the  larder  is  locked 
up.  We  stand  aghast,  but  not  cast  down.  We  insist 
that  we  shall  die  of  exhaustion  before  the  morning,  and 


THE    SILVER   STATE.  247 

we  "  must  have  something — anything,  we  don't  care 
what."  He  grins,  shows  his  white  teeth,  scratches  his 
woolly  head,  and  shakes  it  in  the  teeth  of  our  distress. 
At  last,  by  dint  of  prayers  and  entreaties,  we  induce 
him  to  go  on  a  foraging  expedition  into  the  town.  He 
returns  presently — I  believe  he  knocked  up  the  doctor 
—with  some  roughly  cut  sandwiches  of  rancid  butter 
and  tough  leathery  beef  in  one  hand,  and  a  bottle  of 
lager  beer  in  the  other.  With  this  we  are  forced  to 
be  satisfied,  if  not  content. 

The  next  morning  we  have  a  capital  breakfast,  and 
are  most  anxious  to  go  on  a  reconnoitring  expedition 
through  the  town,  but  a  blinding  snowstorm  confines 
us  to  the  house.  Still  it  is  not  cold ;  although  there  is 
a  stove  in* the  room  we  do  not  need  a  fire.  It  clears 
up  in  the  afternoon ;  we  wrap  ourselves  in  our 
warmest  clothing  and  prepare  to  sally  forth.  As  we 
cross  the  hall  we  hear  our  name  uttered  in  a  familiar 
tone,  and  we  encounter  an  old  friend  whom  we  had 
last  seen  in  a  London  drawing-room.  He  recognized 
us ;  we  should  never  have  recognized  Azm,  in  his 
frontier  dress,  with  top-boots,  broad  sombrero  hat,  and 
clean-shaven  face,  bronzed  and  brown  with  the  "  bright 
sun's  kiss."  He  had  just  returned  from  a  seven- 
hundred-mile  ride  through  the  Indian  territory,  and 
still  had  his  knives  and  pistols  in  his  belt.  These 
he  now  deposited  in  a  huge  box,  which  the  office-clerk 
proudly  opened  for  our  inspection. 

"  See  here,  ladies  ;  "  he  said  ;  "  when  the  gentlemen 
come  down  from  the  hills  they  leave  their  arms  here. 
Ours  is  a  peaceable  town  now  ;  there  is  no  need  to  go 
armed.  A  dozen  years  ago  every  man  carried  his  life 
in  his  hand — the  air  was  full  of  pistol-shots  ;  in  foul 


248  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

weather  it  rained  bullets.  Now  it  is  altogether  different. 
You  are  as  safe  in  the  streets  as  in  your  own  houses." 
He  slammed  the  lid  down  with  a  clang. 

Our  Chicago  friend  volunteered  to  escort  us  about 
the  town  if  we  would  give  him  time  "  to  refresh  him- 
self." He  was  a  long  time  refreshing,  and  when  he 
made  his  reappearance  he  was  refreshed  out  of  all  know- 
ledge. He  had  discarded  his  top-boots,  frieze  jacket, 
and  broad  sombrero,  and  now  appeared,  white-shirted 
and  frock-coated,  fit  for  a  lounge  in  Bond  Street.  He 
had  dug  out  the  insignia  of  civilization  from  the 
depths  of  a  huge  trunk  which  travelled  ahead  of  him 
"in  case  of  being  wanted."  He  had  destroyed  his 
picturesqueness,  but  looked  respectable.  With  this 
renovated  being  we  paraded  the  streets  of  Denver.  Its 
ancient  rowdyism  is  dead  ;  its  bowie-knived,  swag- 
gering, swearing  population  of  ten  years  ago  has  de- 
parted ;  it  is  now  a  peaceful,  law-abiding  city,  with 
long  streets  or  boulevards  planted  with  fine  trees, 
which  in  summer-time  must  form  a  delightful  shade, 
but  in  consequence  of  the  great  altitude,  I  suppose  the 
summer  is  very  backward  here,  for  at  present  there  is 
not  a  single  green  leaf  to  be  seen.  There  are  numbers 
of  handsome  dwelling-houses,  mostly  occupied  by 
families'  who  have  flocked  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 
and  settled  here  in  consideration  of  the  beautiful 
climate,  which  is  genial  and  pleasant  at  all  seasons, 
and  especially  beneficial  to  those  who  are  in  the  least 
affected  with  any  chest  or  lung  disease.  I  have  met 
here  many  hale,  strong,  hearty  men,  who  the  moment 
they  leave  the  city  and  descend  to  the  valleys  below 
become  suffering  invalids.  It  is  the  same  throughout 
the  entire  State  of  Colorado ;  the  pure  rarefied  air  has 


THE    SILVER   STATE.  249 

a  surprisingly  healing  effect  upon  the  lungs,  and  the 
asthmatic  sufferers  breathe  like  healthy  men ;  they  only 
recognize  their  afflictions  when  they  leave  these 
mountain  heights.  There  are  numbers  of  very  hand- 
some shops  of  all  descriptions,  the  jewellers  making 
a  specially  brilliant  display  ;  they  are  the  best  pa- 
tronized, perhaps,  of  any  here,  for  the  miners,  when  they 
have  made  their  "  pile,"  come  down  from  the  hills  and 
invest  their  gold  in  diamonds  and  jewellery  for  their 
wives  or  sweethearts.  There  are  substantial  banks ; 
plenty  of  churches  and  chapels  for  all  denominations 
and  -creeds ;  very  fine  public  buildings — town  hall, 
library,  police  courts,  etc.  The  inhabitants  are  espe- 
cially tetchy,  and  take  seriously  to  heart  any  ob- 
servation concerning  the  respectability  of  their  city, 
and  are  greatly  scandalized  by  any  allusion  to  its 
former  delinquencies.  It  is  like  a  reformed  rake  in 
broadcloth  and  fine  linen,  and  resents  any  allusion  to 
its  days  of  bowie-knives  and  buckskins.  There  is  very 
good,  though  not  exactly  luxurious,  accommodation  for 
travellers  in  the  way  of  hotels ;  but  there  is  a  monster 
hotel  now  in  the  course  of  building,  which  promises 
a  combination  of  luxuries  and  comforts  to  tourists  of 
the  future. 

The  city  is  built  on  a  wide  plateau  five  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea-level.  A  few  streets  and  houses 
cover  a  wide  area  ;  there  is  plenty  of  room  to  build 
and  breathe  in.  Some  of  the  streets,  two  miles  long, 
have  scarcely  fifty  houses  in  them,  but  these  are  sur- 
rounded by  gardens  and  pleasure-grounds ;  they  are 
very  wide^  and  planted  with  rows  of  cotton  trees.  The 
roads  in  all  directions  are  beautifully  smooth  ;  it  is  a 
delight  to  drive  over  them.  It  is  now  the  12th  of 


250  THROUGH   CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

April ;  there  is  a  bright  blue  sky,  warm  balmy  sunshine, 
and  a  crisp  invigorating  air,  but  there  is  not  a  flower 
to  be  seen,  not  the  twitter  of  a  spring  bird  to  be  heard 
anywhere.  Eanges  of  hills  and  mountains  arise  on  all 
sides  of  it,  some  far  away  over  the  plains,  some  near, 
but  mostly  covered  with  eternal  snows,  their  icy  peaks 
flashing  in  the  sunshine  in  striking  contrast  to  the  blue 
foothills  below.  Glancing  on  one  side  we  see  a  wide 
endless  plain  ;  it  seems  bounded  by  the  horizon.  This, 
by  mild  gradations,  unbroken  by  hills  or  mountains, 
leads  through  towns,  forests,  and  cultivated  prairie  lands 
to  the  .Mississippi  river  six  hundred  miles. 

Having  promenaded  the  streets  of  Denver  for  some 
hours  we  return  to  our  Grand  Central  Hotel.  On  our 
way  up  tovour  rooms  we  meet  a  young,  pretty-looking 
girl  with  an  intensely  preoccupied  look  upon  her  face. 
She  hurries  past  us.  We  are  inclined  to  ask  "if  any- 
thing is  the  matter  ?  "  but  before  we  have  time  to  think 
she  is  gone.  We  meet  her  several  times  during  the  after 
part  of  the  day,  running  up  and  down  the  stairs,  or 
roaming  along  the  passages,  still  with  the  same  strange, 
intent  look  upon  her  face.  Late  in  the  evening,  while 
we  are  sitting  chatting  previous  to  retiring  to  rest,  the 
handle  of  our  door  is  very  quietly  turned.  We  step 
forward  and  throw  it  open.  There  is  no  one  there, 
but  this  girl  is  hurrying  along  the  corridor,  wringing 
her  hands  and  moaning  pitifully,  "  I've  lost  a  pair  of 
little  baby's  shoes  !  "  and  throughout  the  long  night  she 
was  wandering  about  the  house,  along  the  passages,  and 
up  and  down  the  stairs,  uttering  the  same  pathetic  cry. 

The  next  morning  we  were  roused  by  a  succession 
of  piercing  shrieks,  and  on  our  hurrying  out  to  learn 
the  cause,  found  the  poor  girl  being  dragged  through 


THE    SILVER   STATE.  251 

j  the  corridor  by  two  sturdy,  rough-looking  men,  who 
certainly  did  not  "  do  their  spiriting  gently."  All  the 
visitors  had  turned  out  of  their  rooms,  alarmed  at  the 
tragic  disturbance,  and  though  every  one  deplored 
what  seemed  to  be  the  unnecessary  violence  of  these 
I  petty  officers  "  dressed  in  their  brief  authority,"  no  one 
spoke  to  prevent  it,  well  knowing  that  any  interference 
with  the  "  police  "  is  dangerous,  and  followed  by  dan- 
gerous consequences.  In  spite  of  her  heartrending 
shrieks,  and  appeals  for  help,  the  unfortunate  creature 
was  dragged  down  the  stairs  uttering  the  one  piteous 
cry — 

"  I've  done  no  harm.  I  was  only  looking  for  my 
little  baby's  shoes." 

"  She's  crazy,"  volunteered  the  head  waiter.  "  It  is 
very  sad.  She's  a  stranger,  too,  in  these  parts  ;  nobody 
knows  anything  about  her.  She  drove  up  here  yester- 
day morning  in  the  station  fly,  and  engaged  a  room,  but 
she  behaved  queer,  roaming  about  the  house  all  day 
and  all  night.  We  were  forced  to  send  for  the  police 
to  take  her  away ;  we  could  not  have  crazy  folk 
hanging  round  here." 

We  returned  silently  to  our  rooms,  all  of  us,  I  think, 
sad  at  heart — the  men  looking  especially  downcast, 
evidently  feeling  that  they  might  have  done  something 
for  this  solitary  distressed  woman.  But  what  ?  They 
all  knew  that  authority  once  acknowledged  in  these 
mountain  cities  must  be  held  unquestioned  and 
supreme. 

It  is  quite  a  common  thing  in  Denver  for  families 
to  take  up  their  residence  entirely  at  hotels.  Only 
two  classes  of  people  can  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  home  : 
viz.  those  who  possess  great  wealth,  and  are  able  to 


252  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

keep  large  establishments,  and  pay  princely  wages  for 
very  indifferent  service  ;  and  those  who  are  able  and 
willing  to  do  their  own  housework,  cooking,  etc.,  with- 
out any  extraneous  help  whatever.  People  of  modest 
means,  who  in  the  old  country  might  enjoy  a  cosy 
home  and  neat-handed  maidservant,  must  not  look  for 
it  here.  An  English  lady  resident  in  the  hotel  gave 
me  her  experience  in  the  matter.  She  took  a  pretty 
house,  furnished  it,  engaged  a  "  help,"  and  prepared 
once  more  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  home  :  the  "help"  had 
laid  down  the  law  what  she  would  do,  and  what  she 
would  not  do.  All  preliminaries  being  satisfactorily 
arranged,  she  entered  on  her  duties.  The  dinner-hour 
came ;  the  table  was  laid  for  three. 

"  There  will  be  only  the  Captain  and  myself  to 
dinner  to-day ;  we  seldom  have  company,"  said  the 
mistress. 

"  But  there's  me !  I'm  to  dine  with  you,  I  sup- 
pose ?  "  replies  the  "  help." 

Upon  its  being  mildly  suggested  that  their  conver- 
sation would  not  be  particularly  interesting  to  her — 
besides  "  they  preferred  dining  alone" — she  flounced 
out  of  the  room.  An  hour  afterwards  the  mistress 
ventured  into  the  kitchen  to  learn  the  cause  of  the 
dinner's  delay,  and  discovered  that  savoury  meal  Qung 
into  the  scullery  sink,  the  fire  raked  out,  and  the 
irate  "  help  "  departed  ! 

Household  labour  is  at  a  premium.  The  social 
aspect  of  affairs  seems  to  be  turned  upside  down  ;  it  is 
the  employee  who  dictates  terms,  not  the  employer. 
There  exists  a  kind  of  female  domestic  guild,  whose 
members  seem  eternally  "  on  strike."  They  decide  who 
shall  be  served  and  who  shall  not  be  served  ;  the  scale 


THE    SILVER   STATE.  253 

of  wages,  and  the  rules  to  be  observed  by  the  house- 
hold they  condescend  to  enter.     Woe  be  to  the  mistress 
j  who  rebels  against  her  maid  ! — she  shall  be  maidless 
;j  ever  after.     In  spite,  however,  of  this  trifling  drawback 
*  to  domestic  bliss,  many  ladies  are  brave  enough  to  face 
the  difficulties,  and  accompany  their  lords  to  the  fields 
of  gold,  as  in  the  old  days  they  did  to  the  field  of  battle. 
Denver  is,  and  will  long  continue  to  be,  crowded  with 
adventurers  from  all  parts  of  the    world,  for  it  is  a 
place   where   fortunes    are   easily   made, — perhaps   as 
easily  lost.     It  is  a  paradise,  they  say,  for  men,  dogs, 
and  horses,  but  no  heaven  for  women. 

The  next  day  we  bid  adieu  to  our  friend,  who  is 
starting  for  Leadville,  while  we  take  the  train  for 
"  Colorado  Springs,"  about  four  hours'  run  from  Denver 
City.  We  reach  the  depot  early,  and  take  our  seats  in 
an  empty  car  ;  throngs  of  people  begin  to  arrive,  some 
on  foot,  some  in  ramshackle  vehicles  of  all  descriptions  ; 
the  hotel  omnibuses  dash  up  one  after  the  other  and 
empty  their  living  freight  upon  the  platform,  which  is 
speedily  crowded  with  an  array  of  masculine  humanity  ; 
but  there  is  not  a  woman  to  be  seen — not  one ! 

A  dark,  swarthy,  rough-looking  set  of  men  they 
are,  with  stern,  impassive  faces ;  they  are  mostly 
armed,  and  are  evidently  bound  for  the  hills  hundreds 
of  miles  up  the  country.  One  after  another  they 
swarm  into  the  cars,  exchange  silent  salutations;  a  nod, 
a  smile,  perhaps  a  few  low-voiced  words,  and  that  is 
all.  There  is  no  laughing,  no  handshaking,  no  jesting, 
no  geniality ;  they  are  thoughtful,  energetic  men,  and 
all  seem  bent  on  the  world's  most  serious  business ; 
each  bearing  the  weight  of  his  own  concerns.  Some 
read  the  Denver  News.  Nobody  seems  to  be  sociably 


254  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

inclined  towards  his  neighbour;  occasional  scraps  of 
conversation  are  floated  to  our  ears ;  but  they  are 
mostly  silent  and  preoccupied.  We  are  the  only  ladies 
on  board  the  cars,  but  that  is  not  an  embarrassing 
fact.  No  one  takes  any  notice  of  us  ;  they  don't  even 
seem  to  glance  our  way,  though  the  fact  of  two  ladies 
travelling  in  these  regions  without  an  escort  must  have 
been  a  novelty.  Occasionally,  if  the  sun  incommoded 
us,  a.  hand  belonging  to  an  invisible  body  arranged 
our  blinds  comfortably  :  by  this  token  only  was  our 
presence  recognized. 

We  reach  Colorado  Springs  about  midday,  and  as 
the  train  stops,  a  bearded  giant  in  top-boots  addressed 
us  in  lamb-like  tones— 

"  You  get  out  here  ?     Strangers,  I  guess  ?  " 

We  admitted  both  facts. 

"  Know  what  hotel  you're  going  to  ?  No  ?  Well, 
I  guess  you'll  find  the  National  about  the  thing." 

In  another  moment  we  find  ourselves  and  our  hand- 
baggage   deposited   in   the  omnibus    of  the   National  t 
Hotel,  and  our  depositor,  with  a  profound  obeisance, 
stands  bareheaded  as  we  drive  away. 

Colorado  Springs  (so  called,  I  suppose,  because  the 
nearest  spring  is  five  miles  off)  stands  on  a  sandy 
plain,  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea-level ;  the  Eio 
Grande  Eailway  has  a  station  here,  where  there  is 
clean,  comfortable,  though  not  luxurious  accommodation 
for  tourists  desiring  to  explore  the  attractions  of  this 
wonderful  State,  with  its  boundless  plains,  ice-crowned 
mountains,  and  great  rolling  uplands,  sweeping  away 
till  they  are  broken  up  by  the  low,  rugged  foothills,  or 
lost  among  eternal  snows.  Colorado  Springs  is  a 
bright,  lively  little  town,  which,  during  the  last  five 


THE    SILVER   STATE.  255 

years,  has  risen  from  the  wild  prairie  land,  and  has  now 
a  population  of  three  thousand  residents.  There  are  two 
other  delightful  resorts  in  the  neighbourhood — the  old 
Colorado  city,  sedate,  solemn,  and  picturesque,  but 
much  neglected  by  tourists  -generally,  who  prefer  the 
brisk,  bustling  "  Springs,"  or  the  more  aristocratic 
"  Manitou,"  about  six  miles  off,  which  is  most  roman- 
tically situated,  and  has  luxurious  hotel  accommodation. 
In  the  immediate  vicinity  are  several  soda  and  iron 
springs,  at  which  any  passing  traveller  may  stop  and 
drink.  Any  one  who  tastes,  as  we  did  (we  did  more 
than  taste,  we  drank  draughts  of  it),  the  sparkling  soda 
water  bubbling  up  from  its  natural  source,  will  for- 
swear the  manufactured  article  ever  after. 

On  the  afternoon  of  our  arrival  we  start  on  an 
expedition  to  Cheyenne  Canon,  some  half-dozen  miles 
from  the  "  Springs."  We  feel  the  full  magnetism  of 
this  rarefied  mountain  air  as  we  speed  over  the  wide, 
rolling  plain,  which  spreads  in  billowy  waves  of  short 
gray-green  grass  on  all  sides  of  us.  The  skies  are 
intensely  blue,  the  air  flooded  with  sunshine.  Not  the 
twitter  of  a  bird  is  to  be  heard,  not  a  tree  is  in  leaf, 
not  a  flower  in  blossom,  and  it  is  late  in  April.  The 
white  bare  branches  of  the  cotton  tree  stand  out  like 
silvery  lace  work,  traced  in  fantastic  patterns  upon  the 
bright  blue  sky.  There  is  nothing  of  soft,  pretty  pic- 
turesqueness  here  ;  it  is  all  grand,  wild,  and  bare. 

"  You  should  have  come  here  in  June,"  says  our 
driver ;  "  there  will  be  plenty  of  greenery  and  flowers 
then.  Of  course  everything  is  looking  dry  and  thirsty 
now ;  we  haven't  had  a  drop  of  rain  since  last  August. 
It's  due  now,  though ;  we're  expecting  showers  every 
day." 


256  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

We  get  out  of  the  carriage  at  the  mouth  of  the 
canon,  and  make  our  way  through  this  wonderful 
chasm  on  foot  as  best  we  can,  climbing  over  the  rough, 
broken  boulders  crossing  and  recrossing  the  creek, 
now  on  felled  tree-trunks,  balancing  ourselves  on 
stones  or  stumps,  climbing  up  slippery  banks,  beneath 
the  shadow  of  the  great  gray  rocks  which  lift  their 
rugged  heights  five  hundred  feet  above  our  head. 
Looking  up  we  see  a  band  of  blue  sky.  We  are  wander- 
ing through  a  twilight  world ;  not  a  gleam  of  sunshine 
ever  strays  into  these  mysterious  depths.  We  are  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  these  dark,  jagged  rocks — above, 
below,  everywhere — as  though  they  would  crowd  round 
and  crush  us.  Here  and  there  a  gnarled  skeleton  tree 
starts  from  some  deep  fissure,  as  though  it  had  wasted 
its  life  trying  to  get  out ;  and  the  gurgling  waterfalls, 
gliding  down  from  their  home  in  the  Mountains  to  join 
the  brawling  stream  below,  makes  a  pleasant  plashing 
music  to  our  ears.  We  spend  two  hours  amid  the 
gloomy  grandeur  of  Cheyenne  Canon,  and  return  to 
the  hotel  in  time  for  dinner. 

The  next  morning  early  we  start  for  the  "  Garden 
of  the  Gods,"  which  is  no  paradise  of  shady  groves 
and  blooming  flowers,  but  a  collection  of  bright  red 
rocks  of  most  curious  formations,  covering  an  area 
of  about  fifty  acres.  At  the  entrance  to  the  garden 
stand  two  tall  red  sandstone  cliffs,  rising  sheer  up 
from  the  ground  to  a  height  of  three  hundred  feet. 
Glancing  through  these  gigantic  gates,  and  framed 
as  it  were  within  them,  we  see  "  Pike's  Peak  "  flashing 
its  icy  crown  in  the  face  of  the  sun.  It  is  seventy- 
five  miles  away,  but  it  is  so  clearly  outlined  it  seems 
quite  near.  We  fancy  we  can  distinguish  the  cattle 


THE    SILVER    STATE.  257 

grazing  among  the  blue  foothills  below.      We  enter 
between   these   gates   and   find   ourselves    amid  what 
might  even  be  the  ruins  of  some  grand  God-created 
cathedral,  created  and  ruined  before  the  age  of  man ; 
the  tall  straight  columns  still  stand  crumbling  in  the 
deserted   aisles,  and   the  "  garden "  is    spread   like  a 
panorama   before  us ;   the   bright   red  sandy  ground, 
rising  and  undulating  in  all  directions,  is  embroidered 
with  silvery  sage  brush  and  tufts  of  gray-green  prairie 
grass  ;  here  and  there  the  straggling  evergreen  trees 
struggle  into  a  dwarfed,  half-barren  life.    Their  scanty 
verdure   is,   however,   a   relief    to   the   eyes,   for   the 
intense  blue  skies  and   the   golden  sunlight,  shining 
on  the   red   rocky  world   round   us,  form  a  mass  of 
brilliant  colouring  that  is  dazzling  to  the  sight,  and 
contrasts  strongly  with  the  massive  white  rocks  which 
stand  outside  the  garden  gates.    Weird,  strange  figures 
and  half-formed  fantastic  shapes  are  on  all  sides  of  us, 
sometimes  grotesque,  like  things  seen  in  a  dream,  but 
always   realistic   and   impressive.      Local   genius   has 
classified   these   wonderful   formations,    and   given   to 
them  familiar  names ;  but  the  glib  guide's  chatter  is 
wearisome.       We    prefer    to   wander    at   our    leisure 
through   this  'marvellous   locality,    and   let   our   ima- 
gination run  riot  amid  this  warm  glow  of  brilliant 
colouring  and  world  of  petrified  wonders.     It  is  easy 
to  fancy  that   this  must  have   been   the   playground 
or  workshop  of  some  athletic  gods  of  old,  who  were 
disturbed   in  their  work  or  in  their   play  when  the 
thunder  of  the  Almighty  Yoice  rolled  down  the  moun- 
tain-side and  called  them  home.      The  laggards  were 
turned  to  stone ;   the  warrior,  with  his  broken  club, 
is  half-buried  in  the  ground ;  and  the  tall  figure  of  a 


258  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

veiled  nun  and  hooded  friar  are  rooted  to  the  earth, 
where  they  are  doomed  to  stand  for  all  the  world's 
wonder  till  the  judgment  day. 

We  cast  many  a  long,  lingering  look  behind  us  as 
we  leave  this  fascinating  spot,  this  veritable  region  of 
enchantment,  which  holds  our  thoughts  chained  long 
after  it  has  passed  from  our  sight.  We  drive  on  to 
Glen  Eyrie,  where  there  are  some  curious  rocky  forma- 
tions of  various  colours — green,  purple,  and  a  dull  dead 
gold ;  and,  rising  amid  a  very  wilderness  of  cotton- 
wood  and  fir-trees,  stands  a  group  of  gigantic  needle- 
rocks — tall,  straight-pointed  shafts,  which  might  be 
used  to  sew  a  broken  world  together.  There  are 
various  other  grotesque  formations,  grouped  in  har- 
monious confusion  amid  a  luxuriant  growth  of  ever- 
greens, which  flourish  here  in  greater  perfection  than 
in  the  wide  open  plains  above.  A  stream  of  sparkling 
water  runs  gurgling  through  the  glen.  Clinging, 
as  it  seems,  like  an  eyrie's  nest  to  the  face  of  the  cliff 
on  the  opposite  side,  is  a  lovely  villa,  the  residence  of 
General  Palmer,  the  owner  of  the  glen ;  from  this  spot 
the  view  of  the  surrounding  scenery  is  unequalled  for 
its  extent  and  picturesqueness. 

On  our  return  journey  we  drive  to  the  Ute  pass, 
which,  for  the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  its  scenery,  is 
second  to  none.  Not  the  ghost  of  an  Indian  is  to  be 
seen  now  on  this  their  once  favourite  hunting-ground ; 
its  narrow  winding  paths — with  steep  precipice  and 
brawling  river  running  below  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
tall  gray  cliff  rising  on  the  other,  sometimes  over- 
hanging above  as  though  they  might  fall  and  crush  us 
— are  crowded  now  with  waggon-trains,  cattle,  lumber- 
carts,  and  squadrons  of  men,  women,  and  children  all 


THE    SILVER   STATE.  259 

plodding  their  way  to  the  Leadville  mines  near  a 
hundred  miles  away.  We  could  not  abandon  ourselves 
wholly  to  the  beauty  of  the  scenery,  for  we  were 
occasionally  diverted  by  the  cries  and  shouts  of  the 
men  as  they  extricated  some  little  staggering  calf  from 
between  our  horses'  hoofs  or  carriage  wheels,  while 
the  poor  mother  lowed  piteously  in  at  the  window, 
her  horns  in  unpleasant  proximity  to  our  faces.  We 
went  as  far  as  the  Rainbow  Falls,  and  then  drove  back 
through  the  pass,  and  thence  to  Manitou,  where 
we  pulled  up  for  a  few  minutes  and  drank  some  de- 
licious draughts  from  the  sparkling  soda  springs. 
During  the  whole  of  this  route  our  attention  was 
constantly  directed  to  some  lovely  homes,  built  some- 
times on  the  hillsides,  sometimes  nestling  at  their  feet, 
but  always  on  some  choice  picturesque  spot.  These, 
we  were  told,  are  generally  inhabited  by  English 
gentlemen,  and  one  or  two  exceedingly  pretty  villas 
were  pointed  out  to  us  as  the  residences  of  some 
American  ladies  of  literary  and  artistic  distinction. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  as  we  rattled  over  the 
breezy  uplands  and  across  the  bleak,  bare  plains,  back 
to  Colorado  Springs.  We  caught  many  a  glimpse  of 
the  gigantic  gates,  which  guard  the  bright  red  garden 
of  the  gods ;  in  fact,  they  form  the  chief  point  in  the 
landscape  for  many  miles  round.  We  regretted  bitterly 
the  compulsory  shortness  of  our  stay  in  this  wonderful 
region  ;  but  we  must  "  move  on,"  leaving  the  utmost 
grandeur  unseen.  We  had  heard  so  much  of  the 
beautiful  valleys,  verdure-clad  ravines,  gloomy  gorges, 
and  almost  inaccessible  mountains,  rugged  and  ice- 
bound with  eternal  snows.  Among  the  most  regretted 
of  these  unseen  wonders  is  the  mountain  of  the  "  Holy 


260  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

Cross."  This  most  remarkable  mountain  is  nearly 
fifteen  thousand  feet  high,  and  the  ascent  is  so  difficult 
that  few  attempt  it.  A  contemporary  describes  it 
thus  : — 

"  The  characteristic  which  gives  it  its  name,  is  the 
vertical  face,  nearly  three  thousand  feet  in  depth,  with 
a  cross  at  the  upper  portion,  the  entire  fissures  being 
filled  with  snow.  The  cross  is  of  such  remarkable 
size,  and  distinct  contrast  with  the  dark  granite  rock, 
that  it  can  be  seen  nearly  eighty  miles  away,  and  easily 
distinguished  from  all  other  mountain-peaks.  The 
snow  seems  to  have  been  caught  in  the  fissure,  which 
is  formed  of  a  succession  of  steps,  and  here,  becoming 
well  lodged,  it  remains  all  the  year.  Late  in  the 
summer  the  cross  is  very  much  diminished  in  size  by 
the  melting  of  the  snow.  A  beautiful  green  lake  lies 
at  the  base  of  the  peak,  which  forms  a  reservoir  for  the 
waters  falling  from  the  high  peaks.  The  perpendicular 
arm  of  the  cross  is  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  length,  and 
fully  fifty  feet  in  breadth,  the  snow  lying  in  the  crevice 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  in  depth ;  the  horizontal 
arm  of  the  cross  averages  seven  hundred  feet." 

Although  Colorado  is  a  rainless  land,  water  is 
plentiful,  rivers  and  streams  are  abundant  enough,  and 
the  system  of  irrigation  is  perfect.  In  no  other  part  of 
this  vast  continent  are  there  more  fertile,  flourishing 
farms,  or  such  a  production  of  gigantic  fruits  and 
vegetables ;  they  tell  of  cabbages  weighing  forty 
pounds — potatoes,  apples,  grapes,  in  fact,  fruits  and 
vegetables  of  all  kinds,  in  similar  proportions. 

July  and  August  are  the  best  months  for  a  tour  in 
Colorado  ;  then  the  mountain-passes  are  open,  the  snow 
has  almost  disappeared  from  the  higher  regions,  and 


THE    SILVER   STATE.  261 

the  beautiful  parks  and  valleys  lying  among  the 
mountains  are  easy  of  access,  while  the  gloomy  gorges 
and  marvellous  canons,  inaccessible  at  other  seasons  of 
the  year,  may  be  fully  explored.  There  are  some 
curious  laws  in  Colorado.  Any  man  who  may  be  found 
spending  his  time  in  public-houses,  saloons,  gambling- 
houses,  etc.,  and  who  is  without  any  visible  means  of 
support,  is  liable  to  be  arrested  as  a  "  vagrant,"  and 
upon  being  convicted  by  a  justice  of  the  peace,  he  is 
handed  over  to  the  sheriff's  officer,  to  be  sold  at  public 
auction  to  the  highest  bidder,  for  his  services,  for  a 
term  not  exceeding  three  months.  The  proceeds  of  the 
sale  to  be  given  to  his  family,  or,  if  he  has  no  family, 
the  money  is  added  to  the  city  treasury.  I  have  just 
read  a  case  in  a  Leadville  paper :  "  Charles  Green, 
having  been  convicted  of  vagrancy,  was  ordered  to  be 
sold  at  auction,  and  was  placed  on  sale  in  front  of 
Justice  MacDowall's  court  yesterday  forenoon,  and 
auctioned  off  by  Marshall  Watson.  Either  his  services 
were  not  considered  valuable,  or  the  principle  of  buying 
at  auction  was  not  favourably  entertained,  for  the  vag 
only  fetched  two  dollars.  Mr.  Wyman  was  the  success- 
.fill  bidder." 


262  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

BRICKS    AND   MORTAR. 

The  Koad  to  St.  Louis— The  Kansas  Brigands'  Exploit— Pic- 
turesque Population — Mississippi  River — Washington — The 
Capitol — Public  Buildings — Society — A  Monument  to  a  Lost 
Cause — Mount  Vernon. 

WE  rest  one  more  night  in  Denver,  and  start  early  next 
morning  for  St.  Louis,  vid  Kansas  City.  We  soon  feel 
as  though  we  have  left  all  the  beauty  and  brightness  of 
the  world  behind ;  for  anything  more  dreamy  than  the 
road  thither  cannot  well  be  imagined.  The  whole  day- 
long, from  morning  till  night,  we  look  out  upon  the  dull, 
uninteresting  prairie  land  ;  the  icy  peaks,  snow-clad 
mountains,  and  verdant  valley  have  all  disappeared,  as 
though  the  magic  plains  had  collapsed  with  all  their 
wonders.  We  see  nothing  but  the  dreary  dead  level 
covered  with  short  tufts  of  buffalo  grass,  so  much 
beloved  and  so  nutritious  to  the  beasts  of  the  plains. 
The  road  is  strewn  with  the  bones  and  bodies  of  dead 
cattle,  some  seeming  to  have  dropped  but  yesterday, 
others  bare  skeletons,  their  bones  bleached  dry  and 
white  in  the  crisp  rarefied  air.  No  loathsome  flies  or 
birds  of  prey  are  hovering  in  the  air  ;  for  the  bodies  do 
not  decay,  they  simply  dry  up,  and  in  time  the  bones 


BRICKS    AND   MORTAR.  263 

crumble  into  atoms,  like  pulverized  stone.  It  is  a 
pitiful  scene.  The  poor  brutes  have  wandered  from  the 
herded  numbers,  to  freeze  and  starve  on  these  bleak 
plains.  It  is  dull  gray  weather,  the  blue  has  faded 
from  the  skies,  and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  a 
drizzling  rain  is  falling.  We  buy  a  paper  of  the 
perambulating  newsboy,  and  read  the  startling  in- 
telligence, that  only  yesterday,  on  this  very  journey, 
two  swaggering  ruffians,  armed  to  the  teeth,  had 
boarded  the  train  at  a  small  wayside  station  ;  the  con- 
ductor recognized  them  at  once  as  the  two  notorious 
brigands,  Jesse  and  Henry  James,  whose  illustrated 
"  Lives  and  Exploits  "  were  at  that  time,  by  a  strange 
coincidence,  being  sold  on  the  cars  for  twenty-five  cents. 

"  For  God's  sake,  keep  quiet — take  no  notice,  what- 
ever they  do,"  whispered  the  anxious  conductor  to  the 
rather  alarmed  passengers  ;  but  they  were  evidently 
"  off  duty,"  neither  robbery  nor  murder  were  on  the 
cards  that  day.  They  swaggered  about  the  cars, 
talking  and  laughing  loudly,  their  very  aspect  creating 
alarm,  as  no  one  knew  what  might  come  next.  They 
presently  selected  a  table,  ordered  "  supper  and  a 
bucket  of  champagne — quick  as  greased  lightning,  too." 

Their  order  was  obeyed  promptly  as  might  be ; 
they  flung  their  six-shooters  on  the  table  before  them, 
enjoyed  a  hearty  meal,  becoming  quite  hilarious 
towards  the  end  ;  then  readjusted  their  arms,  stopped 
the  train  in  the  middle  of  the  wilderness,  stepped  off 
the  platform,  saying — 

"  Charge  two  more  suppers  to  the  Government." 

No  such  adventure  befalls  us  ;  we  have  a  mere 
commonplace  journey,  with  no  genial  companionship  to 
brighten  the  way.  So,  for  nearly  eight  hundred  miles, 


264  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

we  journey  through  this  interminable  desert  land. 
During  the  last  hundred  miles,  however,  signs  of  culti- 
vation begin  to  appear.  The  first  sight  of  green  fields 
is  blessed  and  refreshing  to  our  eyes.  Herds  of  cattle, 
thousands  strong,  are  feeding  on  these  wide  Kansas 
plains,  and  presently  homesteads  and  farmhouses  are 
dotted  here  and  there,  lying  in  the  laps  of  their  own 
cultivated  lands.  Soon,  among  the  gathering  twilight 
shadows,  there  looms  upon  our  sight  a  wide-spreading 
city,  rising  from  the  level  plains.  This  is  Kansas 
City.  We  steam  into  the  station  ;  there  is  a  general 
hubbub  and  confusion  on  the  platform,  which  is 
crowded  with  a  heterogeneous  mass  of  humanity.  There 
is  the  half-breed,  clothed  in  a  flour- sack  or  blanket ;  the 
cattle-dealer,  in  his  quaint-cut  fustian ;  and  a  scanty 
few  western  tourists  going  eastward.  There  is  a  great 
pushing  and  struggling,  everybody  rushing  in  search 
of  the  right  train,  often  getting  into  the  wrong  one ; 
engines  are  whistling  and  dashing  in  and  out  of  the 
station,  going  to  or  coming  from  all  points  of  the 
States.  We  wait  here  half  an  hour  for  refreshments  ; 
there  is  a  capital  buffet,  where  you  may  get  anything 
you  require  at  a  moderate  price.  For  any  one  who  is 
not  professionally  interested  in  agricultural  progress, 
there  is  no  temptation  to  stay  in  Kansas  City.  We 
change  carriages,  having  secured  our  sleeping-car,  and 
proceed  on  our  way.  Next  morning  about  eight  o'clock 
we  reach  St.  Louis. 

Once  more  we  are  in  a  land  of  bricks  and  mortar ;  the 
air  is  close,  warm,  the  atmosphere  what  is  best  under- 
stood by  "  muggy."  We  breathe  the  air  with  a  sense 
of  depression,  both  physically  and  mentally,  and  in  the 
course  of  twenty-four  hours  our  energies  had  left  us  so 


BRICKS    AND    MORTAR.  265 

completely,  we  thought  they  would  never  come  back. 
The  city  is  a  fine,  large,  substantial  one,  with  long 
streets  and  fine  houses,  with  the  usual  amount  of  public 
buildings,  churches,  theatres,  and  other  places  of 
amusement.  It  is  full  of  bright,  bustling  life,  flourish- 
ing trade,  and  thriving  manufactories  ;  there  is  a  look 
of  settled  solidity  about  it  that  contrasts  strongly  with 
the  Western  cities  we  have  been  lately  passing  through. 
In  some  respects  we  might  almost  fancy  ourselves 
transported  back  to  London.  Here  are  the  omnibuses, 
tramcars,  the  gas-lamps,  the  long  rows  of  tall  houses, 
the  hazy  atmosphere,  and  the  suffocating  air  of  a  damp 
July  day  ;  a  gray,  cloudy  sky  above,  and  the  glorious 
Mississippi  rolling  sluggishly  through  the  town  in  a 
state  of  far  more  muddy  impurity  than  our  own  much- 
maligned  Thames.  An  extremely  light  and  elegant 
bridge,  both  for  foot-passengers  or  carriages,  spans  the 
river  and  connects  one  part  of  the  city  with  the  other. 
There  are  pretty  little  parks  or  pleasure-grounds  break- 
ing out  in  all  parts  of  the  crowded  town  for  the  people's 
benefit.  On  the  outskirts  there  are  two  very  beautiful 
and  extensive  pleasure-grounds — Tower  Grove  and 
Forest  Park  ;  the  former  having  been  presented  to  the 
city  by  an  English  gentleman  who  has  been  a  resident 
there  for  many  years.  It  is  beautifully  laid  out  in 
shady  walks  and  drives ;  great  taste  has  been  used  in 
the  arrangement  of  the  rare  shrubs,  trees,  and  flowers, 
which  are  everywhere  displayed  to  the  best  advantage. 
Forest  Park  is  farther  away  from  the  town,  and  is  on 
a  wilder,  larger  scale,  and  rich  in  natural  beauties. 
There  are  grand  old  forest  trees,  bosky  dells,  green 
slopes,  and  shady  nooks  and  corners,  with  a  rich 
luxuriant  growth  of  green  everywhere.  So  far  St. 


266  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

Louis  reminds  us  of  our  native  land  ;  but  on  closer 
observation,  as  we  ramble  through  the  streets  and  round 
about  the  town,  we  realize  the  fact  that  we  are  in  a 
strange  country.  We  explore  the  markets,  and  they 
abound  in  all  quarters  of  the  town,  and  street  stalls, 
which  are  likewise  plentiful.  Here  are  bushels  of  cocoa- 
nuts,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  egg  and  oyster  plants,  rich 
gold  and  red  bananas  a  quarter  of  a  yard  long,  and  all 
kinds  of  tropical  fruits  and  flowers,  and  crowds  of 
coloured  people  everywhere,  engaged  in  every  possible 
kind  of  business — a  bright,  busy,  industrious  population; 
groups  of  curly-headed  coloured  children,  slates  and 
satchels  in  hand,  hurrying  to  or  from  school,  chattering 
and  fluttering  round  like  so  many  magpies.  Little 
brown  babies  are  paddling  about,  making  mud-pies  in 
the  gutter,  with  a  mingling  of  white  babies  joining  in 
the  fun  ;  women  flash  about  with  their  short  cotton 
skirts,  big  gold  earrings,  and  kerchiefs  of  all  the  colours 
of  the  rainbow  pinned  across  their  breasts,  or  bound 
turban-like  round  their  heads.  The  weather  had  par- 
tially cleared,  and  a  lurid  red  sun  looked  down  through 
the  murky  clouds  on  this  semi-tropical  city,  as  we  took 
our  last  stroll  through  the  busy  kaleidoscopic  streets. 

We  stayed  just  long  enough  to  get  a  glimpse  at  the 
outer  aspect  of  the  city,  and  to  test  the  hospitality  of 
one  of  its  most  prominent  members,  which  was  cha- 
racterized by  all  the  hearty  cordiality  of  our  friends  at 
home.  St.  Louis,  I  believe,  is  justly  proud  of  its  culti- 
vated and  refined  society,  of  which  Judge  H.  J— 
and  his  charming  wife  are  most  attractive  represen- 
tatives. We  spent  a  brief  but  pleasant  time  in  their 
genial  society,  and  only  regretted  our  inability  to  stay 
longer  and  enjoy  more  of  it. 


BRICKS    AND    MORTAR.  267 

Another  two  days'  railway  travelling  through  the 
I  populous  Eastern  States ;  through  manufacturing  towns 
jand  agricultural  regions,  with  signs  of  prosperity  and 
I  well-doing  everywhere  ;  through  straggling  villages 
and  grassy  meadows — no  wild,  unkempt  lands,  gloomy 
can  on  s,  or  weird  ravines  flash  past  us  now — we  reach 
Washington  late  in  the  evening,  and  drive  through 
the  brilliantly  lighted  streets  to  our  hotel,  the  Ebbitt 
House,  one  of  the  most  luxurious  and  delightful  resting- 
places.  In  the  morning  we  begin  our  usual  campaign, 
and  issue  forth  to  reconnoitre  the  city — the  finest  and 
fairest  of  all  the  modern  cities  we  have  ever  seen,  or 
I  believe  we  ever  shall  see  (San  Francisco  excepted : 
that  stands  unique  and  alone).  Its  situation  is  most 
picturesque  ;  it  stands  at  the  head  of  the  beautiful 
Potomac  river,  a  chain  of  low  wooded  hills  forming  a 
kind  of  amphitheatre,  behind  and  around  it.  The  city 
was  planned  by  George  Washington  during  his  early 
days  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  his  design  has  been  carried 
out  in  every  particular,  and  has  resulted  in  the  pro- 
duction of  one  of  the  finest  residential  cities  in  the 
world  ;  for  Washington  is  by  no  means  a  busy,  money- 
•making,  mercantile  city.  It  is  one  of  the  most  aris- 
tocratic quarters — if  we  may  use  that  term  in  this 
republican  land.  Here  is  the  seat  of  Government,  and 
thither  flock  the  diplomatic  corps  with  their  wives  and 
families.  The  army  and  navy,  the  medical  and  legal 
professions,  are  also  largely  represented ;  for  the  pulse 
of  the  nation  seems  to  require  constant  regulating,  like 
a  Brummagem  watch  with  the  mainspring  out  of  order  ; 
and  the  legal  machine  is  always  at  hand,  well  oiled  and 
in  good  order,  ready  to  right  the  wrong,  or  wrong  the 
right,  as  the  case  may  be.  There  is  society  here,  too, 


268  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

which  keeps  rigidly  to  its  own  lines,  and  allows  no 
doubtful  outsider  to  set  foot  within  its  magic  circle. 
You  must  have  your  credentials  ready,  and  well  attested, 
for  delivery  at  the  doors.  There  are  gradations  of 
society  here  as  elsewhere,  from  the  elite  and  fashion 
of  the  White  House,  to  the  lowest  rung  of  the  social 
ladder.  Each  forms  its  own  circle ;  one  rarely  touches 
the  other;  each  keeps  distinct  and  to  itself.  The 
equality  and  fraternity  system,  if  indeed  it  exists  any- 
where, certainly  ends  here,  and  Madam  Etiquette  holds 
sovereign  sway.  No  fear  of  meeting  a  man-milliner  in 
her  domain  ;  everything  is  exclusive  and  select ;  every- 
body as  a  rule  knows  "  who's  who,"  and  if  they  do  not 
they  take  the  quickest  and  surest  means  to  find  out.  A 
visit  to  the  consul  of  any  special  nation  is  generally 
satisfactory  in  such  personal  matters. 

It  is  a  positive  pleasure  to  walk  about  the  streets  of 
"Washington  ;  they  are  all  wide,  beautifully  clean,  and 
paved  with  tiles  as  red  as  cherries,  with  rows  of  shady 
trees  on  either  side — a  luxuriant  regiment  keeping  guard 
over  the  quaint,  old-fashioned-looking  brick  houses 
behind.  There  are  no  ragged  edges,  or  jagged  fringe 
of  squalid  homes,  clinging  to  the  skirts  of  the  town, 
It  is  all  neatly  finished  up ;  there  are  no  dilapidated 
sidewalks,  or  rugged  roadways  ;  it  is  everywhere 
smooth  and  pleasant,  either  for  driving  or  walking. 
There  are  wide  streets  of  handsome  shops,  as  well 
stocked  and  tastefully  arranged  as  those  on  the  Paris 
Boulevards. 

The  public  buildings  are  generally  of  fine  white 
marble,  or  of  sandstone  painted  to  resemble  it,  and 
most  impressive  and  massive  structures  they  are.  The 
Patent  Office  is  really  a  splendid  edifice — a  fine  specimen 


BRICKS    AND    MORTAR.  269 

of  Doric  architecture,  most  striking  for  its  simple, 
majestic  grandeur ;  the  body  is  of  sandstone  painted 
white,  but  the  wings  are  of  pure  marble.  The 
Treasury  is  also  remarkably  impressive ;  it  has  a 
colonnaded  front  330  feet  long,  supported  by  thirty 
elegant  Ionic  columns,  and  is  flanked  on  either  side 
by  extensive  buildings  of  massive  granite  masonry, 
which  breaks  the  monotony  of  the  long  colonnaded 
front  of  the  chief  building  ;  it  has  several  magnificent 
porticoes,  and  on  either  side  of  the  platform  or  steps 
leading  thereto  are  masses  of  beautiful  shrubs  and 
flowers.  About  the  centre  of  the  city,  and  dominating 
the  landscape  for  miles  round,  stands  the  Capitol,  high 
and  mighty  in  its  pure  architectural  glory,  crowning 
a  gently  swelling  hill,  and  surrounded  by  a  garden 
of  velvet  lawns,  and  shrubs,  and  flowers,  sloping  down 
to  the  wide  park-like  streets,  which  radiate  from  all 
sides  of  it ;  its  white  wings  spread  on  either  side.  Lofty 
flights  of  marble  steps  lead  to  the  colonnaded  galleries 
which  encircle  the  building.  The  beautiful  white  dome 
(which  is  only  four  feet  lower  than  St.  Paul's,  and, 
standing  on  a  cleared  space  of  elevated  ground,  appears 
higher  and  more  imposing),  with  its  graceful  spire,  is 
silhouetted  against  the  bright  blue  sky.  The  architec- 
ture is  purely  Corinthian,  and  in  every  particular  it  is 
most  elaborately  finished.  The  view  from  the  portico  of 
the  Capitol  is  very  fine.  The  city's  self  spreads  a  wide 
panorama  on  all  sides,  melting  away  into  the  softly 
swelling  hills  and  wooded  valleys  beyond ;  while  the 
silvery  streak  of  the  Potomac  seems  to  creep  out  from 
between  the  distant  hills,  gliding  and  wending  its 
serpentine  way  till  it  meets  and  merges  into  the  shining 
waters  of  the  bay.  To  give  the  briefest  description 


270  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

of  the  rest  of  the  public  buildings,  schools,  etc.,  of  this 
beautiful  young  city  would  fill  more  pages  than  I 
dare  devote  to  the  subject ;  they  are  all  specimens  of 
architectural  beauty  of  varied  kinds.  The  Smith- 
sonian Institute  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  striking; 
it  makes  no  attempt  to  trench  on  classic  ground,  and 
is  of  no  special  style,  but  a  mingling  of  many.  Some, 
who  will  accept  nothing  without  a  name,  call  it 
Romanesque,  or  Byzantine,  or  Norman  ;  it  is  neither, 
but  a  fanciful  rendering  of  all,  and  the  result  is 
most  striking  and  effective.  The  Botanical  Gardens, 
comprising  ten  acres  of  land,  lies  by  the  West 
Capitol  Park,  and  the  elegant  conservatories  and 
beautifully  laid  out  grounds  form  a  prominent  feature 
in  the  landscape.  Rare  trees,  and  shrubs,  and  flowers 
of  every  clime  are  flourishing  here ;  among  them  is  one 
of  rare  significance,  the  dumb-cane  of  South  America. 
If  man  or  woman  taste  the  sap  from  the  root  of  this 
tree,  it  destroys  their  powers  of  speech. 

We  could  not  be  in  Washington  without  paying  a 
visit  to  the  Senate  Chamber  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives, to  which  the  public  have  free  access,  even  when 
the  House  is  sitting.  Of  course  the  floor  of  the  house 
is  occupied  by  members  of  Congress.  A  gallery,  three 
or  four  seats  deep,  runs  round  the  building  for  the  use 
of  visitors.  As  we  entered,  Mr.  Thurman  was  speaking 
on  the  Alabama  indemnity.  He  has  a  fine  presence,  a 
good  delivery,  and  spoke  most  eloquently  upon  the  sub- 
ject. I  don't  know  whether  he  was  much  listened  to. 
A  good  deal  of  parliamentary  eloquence  is  flung  to  the  • 
wind.  Each  member  had  a  desk  before  him.  Some  were 
writing,  some  were  reading  the  news,  some  were  dozing, 
others  looked  extremely  bored,  while  a  few  were  having 


BRICKS   AND   MORTAR.  271 

I  a  genial  conversation.  The  floor  was  strewn  with 
1  papers.  Boy-messengers  were  flashing  hither  and 
thither,  larking  by  the  way  as  though  they  were  just 
out  of  school.  The  whole  scene  was  wanting  in  that 
grave  decorum  and  order  which  characterize  our  own 
parliamentary  assemblies.  On  going  from  one  Chamber 
to  the  other — the  Senate  which  represents  our  House 
of  Lords — we  heard  loud  talking,  it  seemed  of  many 
voices.  We  glanced  through  the  half-open  door  at  the 
crowd  within,  and  inquired  of  the  thin,  loose-jointed 
individual  who  was  lounging  about  on  the  threshold 
taking  his  duty  easily,  "  if  there  was  anything  in- 
teresting going  on  ?  " 

"  They're  doing  nothing,"  he  answered,  with 
supreme  contempt ;  "  they're  always  doing  nothing— 
and  they  take  a  long  .time  about  it.  They've  been 
a-filibustering  and  a-filibustering  all  day,  and  I  suppose 
they'll  go  on  all  night.  I'm  sick  of  'em." 

There  are  lovely  drives  all  round  Washington  City, 
some  of  historic  interest.  Our  first  visit  was  to 
Arlington  House,  the  home  of  General  Eobert  Lee ; 
it  is  but  a  short  drive  from  the  city,  and  stands  in  a 
most  prominent  position  on  Arlington  Heights,  sur- 
rounded by  lovely  scenery,  and  in  the  distance,  loom- 
ing out  of  the  city's  midst,  stands  the  Capitol  "  with 
white  dome  lifted."  At  the  close  of  the  war  the  estate 
was  confiscated,  and  a  great  portion  of  the  beautiful 
grounds  was  set  apart  as  a  burial-ground  for  the 
Union  soldiers.  On  every  side,  stretching  away  into 
the  dim  distance,  are  graves — graves  everywhere ; 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  them,  not  raised  in 
mounds,  but  under  the  smooth  turfed  ground.  Each 
one  is  marked  by  a  stone  about  a  foot  high,  setting 


272  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

forth  the  name  and  age  of  the  sleeper  below.  It 
seems  a  strange  fatality  that  the  home  of  the  grand 
old  rebel  soldier  should  be  the  resting-place  of  the 
federal  dead.  In  one  part  of  the  grounds  stands  a 
massive  granite  sarcophagus,  which  is  placed  over  the 
bones  of  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  eleven  un- 
known soldiers,  gathered  from  the  battle-field  of  "  Bull 
Run "  and  the  route  to  Rappahannock  after  the  war. 
The  house  is  dismantled  now,  and  our  hollow  footsteps 
echo  through  the  vacant  passages  and  empty  chambers. 
As  we  wander  through  the  deserted  dwelling,  we 
scarcely  feel  we  are  alone.  The  ghost  of  the  dead  days 
seems  to  be  an  ever-haunting  presence  there.  Arling- 
ton House,  in  its  isolated  lonely  state,  stands  there  as 
a  most  melancholy  monument  to  a  lost  cause. 

Outside,  at  the  back  of  the  Jaouse,  are  the  kitchens, 
stables,  and  slave  quarters — all  empty  now,  dilapidated 
and  falling  fast  to  ruin,  like  ghastly  skeleton  homers, 
scarred  with  many  memories,  and  mutely  eloquent  of 
the  days  that  have  been.  On  our  way  homeward  we 
drove  through  the  beautifully  picturesque  grounds  of 
the  "  Soldiers'  Home,"  which  consists  of  about  five 
hundred  acres,  tastefully  laid  out  in  lawns,  meadows, 
gardens,  and  lakes,  and  about  seven  miles  of  drives 
winding  now  by  the  lake  side,  or  under  the  shady 
trees,  or  through  the  blooming  "  garden  of  roses." 

Our  next  visit  was  to  the  home  of  Washington,  the 
founder  and  father  of  the  Union.  Mount  Yernon  is 
situated  about  fifteen  miles  from  Washington,  down  the 
Potomac  river,  passing  through  pretty  home  scenery, 
and  some  highly  interesting  spots  by  the  way.  We 
have  splendid  views  of  the  Arsenal  grounds  which  run 
along  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  the  Government 


BRICKS    AND    MORTAR.  273 

home  for  the  insane,  a  magnificent  building  standing 
on  elevated  ground  east  of  the  city.  Presently  we 
pass  Fort  Foote  and  Fort  Washington.  Every  rood  of 
ground  on  either  side  of  this  lovely  Potomac  is  marked 
by  the  footprints  of  the  war,  and  is  historied  and  en- 
riched with  its  many  memories.  At  length  we  reach 
Mount  Yernon — a  spot  dear  to  American  hearts  of 
every  degree,  however  one  man  may  differ  from 
another  in  social,  political,  or  sectarian  matters.  What- 
ever tumult  may  rack  the  State,  or  tear  at  the  spirit 
of  the  Union,  all  unite  in  their  reverence  for  this  one 
noble  dead.  When  the  horrors  of  war  ceased  for  an 
hour,  thither  came  men  from  both  armies,  with  hands 
red  with  their  brothers'  blood  ;  but  here  all  was  peace. 
The  bitter  enmity  and  hatred  which  convulsed  the 
land  was  forgotten  here ;  and  the  men  in  blue  and  the 
men  in  gray  stood  side  by  side,  bared  their  heads,  and 
bent  reverently  as  before  a  shrine,  by  the  grave  of  the 
father  of  their  country. 

General  Washington  is  laid  to  rest  in  the  grounds  of 
his  own  home ;  we  pass  his  tomb  on  our  way  to  the 
house.     Everything  here  is  kept  in  perfect  order ;  the 
quaint  garden,  designed  and  laid  out  by  Washington 
himself  in  the  fashion  of  the  old  days,  with  odd-shaped 
beds,  and  thick  box  borders  about  a  foot  high,  is  filled 
with  gay,  sweet-scented,  rather  than  rare,  flowers  ;  on 
the  lawn  there  are  several  trees,  and  a  hoary  old  hedge 
four  feet  high,  and  four  feet  thick,  all  planted  by  the  be- 
loved General's  own  hand,  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago ; 
:  and  they  are  all  green  and  flourishing,  as  though  they 
I  meant  to  live  another  century  at  least.     Here  also  is 
1  a  superb  magnolia  tree,  reared  from  a  slip  brought  by 
the  hand  of  Lafayette  from  St.  Helena.      The  slave 


274  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

quarters,  gardeners'  cottages,  laundries,  stables,  etc., 
are  all  ranged  on  the  lawn  at  the  back  of  the  house. 
These  are  still  occupied  by  coloured  people,  the  direct 
descendants  of  those  slaves  who  were  raised  on  the 
place  in  the  old  days  ;  and  they  are  as  proud  of  their 
ra.ce,  and  their  connection  with  the  Washington  family, 
as  though  they  had  descended  from  a  line  of  kings. 
They  are  a  very  superior  and  obliging  class  of  people, 
and  provide  an  excellent  lunch  for  visitors,  at  a  very 
moderate  price. 

Mount  Yernon,  though  very  beautifully  situated, 
and  surrounded  by  fine  views,  sloping  away  from  all 
sides  of  it,  is  not  so  imposing  an  edifice  as  Arlington 
House.  It  is  built  of  wood  to  imitate  stone,  and  has 
a  long,  wide  verandah  running  along  the  front.  The 
rooms  are  small,  with  the  exception  of  the  banqueting 
hall,  which,  in  comparison  with  the  rest,  is  a  large, 
handsome  apartment.  Here  are  some  fine  old  oil  paint- 
ings, and  portraits  of  Washington  and  his  family,  with 
some  few  miscellaneous  curiosities  ;  among  them,  the 
key  of  the  Bastile,  presented  by  General  Lafayette. 

So  much  loving  reverence  surrounds  the  name  of 
"  Washington,"  that  every  room  in  the  house  is  named 
after  a  particular  State,  which  holds  it  in  special 
care.  The  rooms  are  all  furnished  after  the  fashion  of 
the  old  time  ;  many  still  contain  the  Chippendale  furni- 
ture that  was  used  by  the  Washington  family ;  there 
is  the  General's  own  escritoire,  with  its  numerous 
pigeon-holes,  and  cunning  secret  drawers,  the  chair  he 
sat  in,  and  the  bed  he  died  on,  in  exactly  the  same 
position,  and  with  the  same  coverlid  and  fast-fading 
hangings  as  when  he  left  it.  There  is  not  a  speck  of 
dust  to  be  seen  anywhere.  The  house  and  grounds  are 


BRICKS    AND    MORTAR.  275 

the  property  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Ladies'  Association, 
and  everything  is  arranged  and  carried  on  under  their 
personal  supervision  and  care.  Every  relic  having 
the  remotest  connection  with  General  Washington  is 
gathered  together  here,  and  most  carefully  preserved. 
A  sweet  scent  of  the  old  dead  days  lingers  every- 
where ;  even  the  roses  that  climb  round  the  verandah 
have  a  perfume  all  their  own — different,  it  seems,  from 
other  roses.  As  we  retrace  our  steps  through  the 
quaint  garden,  down  "Washington's  favourite  path,  be- 
tween the  thick  box  hedges,  in  our  mind's  eye  (which 
sees  so  much  more  than  mortal  sight)  we  see  him  walk- 
ing before  us,  in  his  cocked  hat  and  periwig,  with 
head  bent  down,  and  hands  clasped  behind  him,  exactly 
as,  we  are  told,  he  used  to  walk  there,  to  and  fro,  a 
hundred  years  ago. 


276  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

THE    QUAKER   CITY. 

- 

Baltimore — Its  Stony  Streets — Druids'  Park — A  Stroll  through  the 
City — Aristocratic  Quarters — Washington  Monument — Phila- 
delphia— General  Aspect — Picturesque  Market  Street — Fair- 
mount  Zoological  Gardens. 

A  TWO  hours'  drive  and  we  are  at  Baltimore,  one  of  the 
busiest  and  brightest  of  Southern  cities,  with  miles  of 
streets  running  in  all  directions,  in  a  state  of  labyrin- 
thine uncertainty,  as  though  they  did  not  know  which 
way  to  turn,  or  where  to  go  next ;  some  are  straight 
and  wide,  some  narrow  and  crooked.  The  houses  are 
of  many  colours  ;  they  scorn  to  be  bound  to  the  common- 
place rules  of  mere  bricks  and  mortar ;  you  may  see  a 
pink  front  blushing  near  a  sombre  gray,  a  creamy 
white  or  chocolate,  picked  out  with  amber,  elbowing  a 
bright  blue,  or  olive-tinted  green  ;  the  side- walks  are 
paved  with  cherry-red  tiles,  and  all  this  varied  colour- 
ing, together  with  the  quaint  style  of  street  archi- 
tecture, gives  the  city  a  gay,  picturesque  appearance. 

The  business  thoroughfares  are  overflowing  with 
the  hurry  and  bustle  of  life,  and  at  certain  hours  of  the 
day  the  side- walks  are  crowded  with  a  jostling  multi- 
tude, fluctuating  to  and  fro,  while  the  roadways  are 
alive  with  many-coloured  cars,  dashing  hither  and 


THE    QUAKER   CITY.  277 

thither.  It  is  pleasant  enough  riding  on  tramways,  but 
you  cannot  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  private  carriage — 
without  running  the  risk  of  dislocation,  at  least ;  for 
the  roads  are  of  the  roughest  cobble-stones.  The 
vehicles,  driven  at  reckless  speed,  lurch  and  plunge 
from  side  to  side,  and  bump  you  up  and  down.  You 
hold  on  to  the  sides  breathlessly,  feeling  they  must 
topple  over.  But  they  don't ;  they  land  you  at  your 
destination  alive,  though  with  splitting  head  and  aching 
bones.  You  are  disposed  to  patronize  the  humble  cars 
in  future ;  and  the  cars  go  everywhere,  and  one  bright 
morning  they  landed  us  at  Druids'  Park. 

You  enter  through  a  lofty  pair  of  handsome  iron 
gates,  into  a  wide  avenue,  flanked  on  either  side  by 
stone  vases  fifteen  feet  high,  filled  with  evergreens  in 
winter,  and  in  summer  with  showy  flowers.  The 
Baltimore  folk  are  very  proud  of  their  Druids'  Park ; 
and  well  they  may  be,  for  it  is  a  most  lovely  spot,  con- 
sisting of  about  five  hundred  acres  of  land  beautifully 
laid  out,  their  natural  attractions  being  supplemented, 
not  overwhelmed,  by  art.  There  are  clumps  of  grand 
old  forest  trees,  grassy  slopes,  and  shady  dells,  filled 
with  evergreen  shrubs,  feathery  ferns,  and  sweet  wild 
flowers,  and  a  silvery  lake,  winding  like  a  glittering 
white  serpent  through  a  paradise  of  green.  Groups  of 
coloured  folk,  with  their  wives  and  rollicking  little 
piccaninnies,  and  young  men  with  their  swarthy 
sweethearts,  all  sprucely  dressed  in  broadcloth  and  fine 
linen,  with  flowers  in  their  button-holes,  light-gloved, 
and  patent-booted,  their  faces  shining,  as  though  they 
had  been  extra  polished  by  Nixey's  patent,  are  stroll- 
ing under  the  trees,  or  sit  chatting  beneath  their 
branches.  The  women,  as  a  rule,  wear  less  gaudy 


278  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

colours  than  their  sisters  at  St.  Louis,  and  altogether 
seem  of  a  better-educated  class. 

Any  lady  desiring  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  shopping, 
should  postpone  that  pleasure  till  she  gets  to  Balti- 
more, where  there  are  plenty  of  shops,  well  stocked, 
and  well  arranged  with  every  possible  kind  of  fancy 
articles,  as  well  as  the  necessary  articles  for  daily  use, 
and  at  certainly  one-third  less  price  than  she  would 
pay  in  most  of  the  Eastern  cities ;  besides  this  ad- 
vantage, she  will  be  treated  with  respect  and  civility, 
which  does  not  seem  indigenous  to  the  nature  of  the 
American  shopkeeper  or  his  subordinates. 

The  residential  part  of  the  city,  viz.  Monument 
Square  (and  such-like  fashionable  localities),  has  a 
quiet,  dull,  deserted  appearance,  like  a  country  town 
on  Sundays  when  the  shops  are  shut  and  the  good 
folk  are  all  at  church,  undergoing  their  spiritual  ab- 
lutions. The  houses  in  these  aristocratic  quarters  of 
the  city  are  more  uniform  and  monotonous  than  the 
busier  portions,  and  yet  there  is  a  picturesqueness  in 
the  monotony  of  the  long  rows  of  tall  brick  houses, 
picked  out  with  white,  the  white  steps  projecting  on 
to  the  red-tiled  pavement,  while  rows  of  green  trees 
stretch  their  green  arms  before  them.  In  every  city 
throughout  the  United  States  statues  of  their  beloved 
founder,  George  Washington,  abound — some  execrable, 
some  well  enough  to  look  at ;  but  that  which  occupies 
the  centre  of  Monument  Square  is  a  finely  conceived 
and  splendidly  executed  piece  of  work.  There  is  no 
exaggeration,  no  attempt  at  ornament  or  decoration 
about  it — a  tall,  fluted  column  rises  from  a  square 
stone  platform,  surmounted  at  the  top  by  an  effigy  of 
General  George  Washington  ;  it  is  no  theatrical  figure 


THE    QUAKER    CITY.  279 

of  an  impossible  athlete  in  an  attitude  of  patriotic 
ardour  or  military  devotion.  He  stands  in  the  position 
of  a  simple  gentleman,  as  he  may  have  stood  many 
times  in  the  flesh,  with  folded  arms,  looking  out  over 
the  city  to  Chesepeake,  where  the  stars  and  stripes  of 
the  Union  he  founded  are  streaming  now  from  scores 
of  vessels  in  the  beautiful  bay. 

The  hotel  accommodation  is  comfortable  enough, 
and  no  doubt  answers  all  the  requirements  of  the 
mercantile  population  who  are  constantly  passing  to 
and  fro  this  busy  trading  city,  for  the  river  is  filled 
with  shipping  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  the 
wharfs  swarming  with  a  working  population,  loading 
and  unloading  the  vessels  ;  the  visitor  who  runs  down 
for  a  glimpse  at  these  characteristic  localities  gets 
bewildered  in  the  tangled  collection  of  cranks,  cattle, 
and  the  surging  mass  of  pushing,  shouting  humankind. 
The  hotels  are  wanting  in  some  of  those  luxurious 
arrangements  to  which  the  tourists  through  the  great 
cities  of  America  have  grown  so  accustomed  as  to 
regard  them  as  necessities. 

Our  next  point  of  attraction  was  Philadelphia, 
which  delightful  city  we  entered  under  most  favour- 
able auspices ;  the  atmosphere  was  bright,  warm,  and 
cloudless.  We  caught  our  first  glimpse  of  it  from  our 
car-windows,  and  beheld  it  afar  off  lying  in  the  sun- 
shine, its  shining  domes  and  cupolas  outlined  in  the 
broad  blue  skies,  and  its  myriad  spires  lifted  lance-like 
in  the  air.  On  arriving  there  and  first  driving 
through  the  long,  stately  streets,  we  were  struck  by 
the  number  of  magnificent  buildings  we  passed  on  our 
route — marble  fronts,  marble  columns,  marble  steps, 
marble  everywhere. 


280  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

The  city  is  clothed  with  architectural  beauty  01 
whichever  side  you  look.  The  public  building 
academies,  churches,  etc.,  are  all,  without  exceptioi 
magnificent  structures,  some  most  striking  from  theii 
grand  simplicity,  others  from  their  varied  and  fanciful 
picturesqueness.  Mr.  Lippincott  has  published  a  guide 
to  "  Philadelphia  and  its  Environs,"  profusely  an( 
beautifully  illustrated  with  woodcuts  of  many  im- 
portant private  dwellings  and  all  the  public  buildings, 
the  centennial  erections  in  Fairmount  Park,  and  some 
of  the  lovely  scenery  surrounding  it.  When  you  have 
"  done  "  the  city,  you  will  not  throw  aside  your  guide, 
but  keep  it  as  a  pleasant  refresher  to  your  memory  in 
after  days.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  walk  up  and  down  the 
clean,  pretty  streets,  with  their  quaint  old  houses. 
Every  window  has  an  outside  protection  from  the 
summer  sun ;  some  have  the  thick  wooden  shuttei 
rarely  seen  in  these  days,  others  have  green  Venetians, 
which  makes  you  feel  you  are  in  a  semi-tropi< 
region. 

The  streets  running  one  way  across  the  town  ai 
named  after  different  trees,  which  at  one  time  wei 
supposed  to  have  flourished  on  their  site — such  as 
"  Chestnut,"  "  Pine,"  "  Spruce,"  "  Filbert,"  etc.  ;  those 
running  in  an  opposite  direction  are  simply  numbered 
on  the  same  plan  as  that  followed  in  New  York. 
Market  Street,  one  of  the  great  trading  thoroughfares, 
runs  straight  across  the  city  from  one  river  to  the 
other ;  it  is  a  splendid  street,  a  hundred  feet  wide. 
In  Penn's  time  this  was  the  High  Street  of  the  city. 
Some  of  the  houses  have  gaily  striped  awnings, 
stretching  across  to  the  roadway ;  some  have  flags  or 
banners  flying,  and  adopt  other  fanciful  means  of 


THE    QUAKER   CITY.  281 

calling  attention  to  their  special  attractions.  A  full- 
length  figure  of  Pocahontas,  or  some  other  savage 
celebrity,  generally  stands  at  the  door  of  the  retail 
tobacconists,  offering  a  pinch  of  snuff  to  the  passer-by. 
An  eagle  spreads  its  wings  over  one  Art  Gallery,  while 
a  lion  in  a  cocked  hat  paws  the  air  on  the  opposite 
side.  Altogether,  the  streets  have  always  a  gay, 
festive  appearance. 

The  great  thoroughfares  are  crowded  with  pedes- 
trians and  vehicles  of  all  description.  Wholesale  and 
retail  trading  we  know  is  being  briskly  carried  on  ; 
but  there  is  no  skurry  or  confusion  anywhere,  no 
pushing  and  jostling;  the  living  stream  flows  evenly 
to  and  fro  ;  business  seems  to  be  conducting  itself  in  a 
quiet,  orderly  fashion.  Taken  altogether,  Philadelphia 
is  a  sedate  city  ;  there  is  an  air  of  severe  respectability 
and  old-world  solidity  about  it,  we  feel  it  would  take 
a  great  deal  to  stir  its  substantial  self-possession.  It 
lies  between  the  Delaware  and  Schuylkill  rivers,  and 
covers  an  area  of  great  extent ;  it  is  nearly  double  the 
size  of  New  York,  with  a  population  considerably  less. 
There  are  no  overcrowded  quarters  here,  no  narrow 
courts  or  gloomy  alleys,  no  tall  tenement  houses,  like 
rabbit  warrens,  swarming  with  human  creatures, 
sheltering  hundreds  within  its  reeking,  dilapidated 
walls,  where  there  is  scarcely  room  for  a  score  to  live 
and  breathe  in.  Everywhere  in  Philadelphia  there  is 
room  "  to  turn  round  in,  to  breathe,  and  be  free." 

No  grim  poverty  parades  the  streets,  no  sickly 
faces  turn  to  the  wall,  no  wolf-eyed  hunger  lurks  in 
corners  ;  the  working  population  looks  healthy,  strong, 
and  self-respecting,  free  from  that  communistic  element 
which  is  agitating  the  far  Western  cities.  Every  man, 


282  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

from  the  lowest  rung  in  the  ladder,  can  rear  his  family 
in  a  home  of  his  own  if  he  pleases ;  rent  is  cheap,  and 
the  smallest  cottage  has  its  bath-room,  wash-house, 
and  patch  of  garden-ground.  The  city  is  confined 
within  no  limits  ;  it  has  overflowed  the  river  on  either 
side,  where  there  is  plenty  of  room  for  it  to  stretch  its 
limbs  and  grow,  as  it  has  grown,  with  its  beautiful 
suburban  branches,  Kensington,  Southwark,  Grerman- 
town,  etc.  It  is  growing  still ;  elegant  villas,  sub- 
stantial squares,  and  meandering  streets  are  springing 
up  as  fast  as  they  can,  clinging  to  the  skirts  of  the 
great  city,  which  is  lik$  a  monstrous  body,  with  arms 
as  long  as  a  gigantic  octopus,  reaching  away  on  all 
sides,  seizing  all  it  can,  or  like  a  loadstone  attracting 
all  to  itself. 

Philadelphia  is  rich,  too,  in  historical  associations, 
and  has  preserved  many  interesting  relics  of  the  old 
times ;  for  a  century  acquires  the  dignity  of  age  in  the 
New  World,  and  anything  that  is  a  hundred  years  old 
is  considered  worthy  of  a  pilgrimage.  Penn's  cottage, 
occupied  by  him  in  1701,  is  still  extant;  so  far  it  has 
escaped  the  improving  mania  which  has  swept  so 
many  of  the  old  landmarks  away.  It  is  a  small,  un- 
pretentious brick  building,  two  storeys  high,  situated  in 
Letitia  Street,  near  the  market,  and  quite  overshadowed 
by  the  fine  buildings  which  have  sprung  up  round  it. 
Indeed,  many  of  the  old  interesting  homes  of  the  earlier 
settlers  have  wholly  disappeared ;  others  are  elbowed 
away  out  of  sight,  to  make  way  for  the  elegant  villas 
and  marble  palaces  of  the  present  generation  of  wealthy 
Philadelphians,  who  form  a  nucleus  of  the  most  refined 
and  cultivated  society  to  be  found  in  any  quarter  of 
the  world.  The  oldest  inhabitants  of  the  State  have 


THE    QUAKER    CITY.  283 

still    their    representatives    in    Pennsylvania,   though 

1  they  congregate  mostly  in  the  city.     Thither,  in  early 

I  days,  came  wandering  branches  from  some  of  the  best 

j  families   in   the  old   countries,  and  their  descendants 

j  still  occupy  the  land.     We  recognize  a  kindred  spirit 

as  we  walk  through  the  public  streets,  and  feel  the 

fascination    of    the    Old   World    mingling   with    the 

vigorous  strength  of  the  New. 

Philadelphia  has  not  the  cosmopolitan  character  of 
New  York,  and  consequently  does  not  present  such 
varied  fluctuating  phases  of  life.  It  is  a  sedate 
matronly  city,  with  nothing  fast  or  frivolous  about 
it,  and  its  inhabitants  uphold  its  dignity  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  themselves.  The  most  beautifully  pic- 
turesque scenery  lies  round  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood ;  few  cities  contain  so  many  attractions  within 
their  grasp.  The  views  on  the  winding  Wissahickon 
are  especially  lovely,  with  a  warm  glow  and  romantic 
loveliness  which  makes  one  inclined  to  "  linger  long 
summer  days  "  beside  its  banks.  But  Fairmount  Park 
is,  however,  Philadelphia's  greatest  pride ;  its  position 
and  its  natural  beauties  are  indeed  unsurpassed.  Lying 
along  the  loveliest  part  of  the  Schuylkill  river,  it 
occupies  three  thousand  acres  of  land,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  extensive  parks  known,  being  three  times  larger 
than  the  Grand  Central  Park,  New  York — and  that, 
with  its  twelve  miles  of  driving  roads,  strikes  every 
one  with  surprise ;  but  Fairmount  has  double  that 
space  set  apart  for  driving  and  riding  exercise. 

At  certain  hours  of  the  day  the  streams  of  hand- 
some equipages  and  regiments  of  fair  equestrians, 
driving  and  riding  along  the  wide  curving  road  by  the 
river,  presents  a  kaleidoscopic  scene  of  great  bril- 


284  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

liancy  ;  it  is  like  a  living  panorama,  which  breaks  up 
and  fades  like  a  dissolving  view,  as  one  by  one  they 
turn  out  of  the  main  drive.  Some  disappear  in  groves 
of  shady  trees,  or  are  lost  among  the  romantic  hills  or 
pleasant  winding  ways  which  lead,  between  banks  of 
blooming  flowers,  to  the  more  secluded  parts  of  the 
ground.  But  to  thoroughly  enjoy  and  appreciate  the 
beauties  of  Fairmount  Park,  you  must  go  on  foot, 
ramble  among  its  leafy  dells  and  sunny  slopes,  its 
placid  lakes  hidden  away  in  the  heart  of  the  woodlands, 
amid  the  tangled  masses  of  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
green,  lichen-covered  boulders  and  moss-grown  banks, 
left  to  flourish  in  their  natural  wilfulness  and  beauty. 
Magnificent  fountains  have  been  erected  in  different 
parts  of  the  ground,  and  marble  monuments  to  deceased 
statesmen,  philanthropists,  and  heroes  are  gleaming 
white  on  every  side.  That  to  Abraham  Lincoln  is 
perhaps  the  finest  of  them  all. 

In  no  country  in  the  world  are  there  such  extensive ''} 
and  delightful  public  parks  and  pleasure-grounds  as  in; 
America.  Nature,  in  most  cases,  has  laid  so  much 
material  ready  to  hand — rocks,  hills,  wilderness,  forest 
land,  and  rivers.  Art  has  but  to  wave  her  magic  wand, 
clear  away  or  reject  all  she  does  not  require,  and 
utilize  and  lay  out  the  rest  according  to  her  tasteful 
pleasure.  Thus,  many  of  the  primeval  forest  trees, 
rocky  mounds,  and  sparkling  rivers  of  the  dead  ages 
beautify  the  recreation  grounds  of  to-day.  The 
Zoological  Gardens,  lying  along  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river,  promise  to  be  second  to  none  ;  they  occupy 
a  vast  extent  of  beautifully  laid  out  ground,  and  the 
different  buildings  already  erected  there  are  architec- 
turally pleasant  to  the  eye,  and  at  the  same  time  those 


THE    QUAKER   CITY.  285 

best  suited  to  the  requirements,  and  for  the  exhibition 
of  the  remarkably  fine  collection  of  animals  gathered 
i  therein.  The  society  has  agents  in  all  parts  of  the 
*  world,  being  resolved  to  spare  neither  pains,  labour, 
!  nor  expense  in  their  endeavour  to  make  their  collection 
i  the  most  perfect  of  its  kind  in  all  the  civilized  world. 


286  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

SUMMER   AMONG    THE    GOTHAMITES. 

A  New  York  Summer — How  they  meet  it — Airy  Customs — Coney 
Island — Rockaway  and  Long  Branch — A  Mountain  Village — 
Ellenville— View  from  "  Sam's  Point." 

PHILADELPHIA  to  New  York  is  a  pleasant  three  hours' 
journey,  and  we  were  glad  to  find  ourselves  settled 
down  for  a  few  weeks'  rest  in  the  "  Empire  City  " — if 
rest  can  be  obtained  in  that  electric  atmosphere,  which 
quickens  the  pulse  and  fills  you  with  its  own  restless 
life,  whether  you  will  or  no.  We  arrived  there  in  the 
middle  of  May.  The  season  was  over,  their  fashionable 
season  being  the  reverse  of  ours,  for  their  gaieties  are 
at  their  full  flood-tide  during  the  winter  months,  when 
ours  are  ended — if  such  things  ever  do  come  to  an 
end  in  a  great  city,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  general 
mass  build  up  a  tolerable  palace  of  pleasure  out  of  the 
debris  the  fashionable  world  leaves  behind  it. 

Our  friends,  the  few  who  remained  in  Gotham  to 
battle  with  the  fierce  summer  sun,  regretted  that  we 
had  come  back  at  the  dead  season ;  but  they  managed  to 
make  it  lively  enough.  What  with  excursions  on  the 
water,  picnics  on  land,  theatres,  and  social  gatherings 
at  home,  the  time  passed  only  too  quickly.  The  days 


SUMMER   AMONG    THE    GOTHAMITES.  287 

were  too  short ;  if  we  could  lengthen  them  as  we  do 
our  skirts,  by  adding  a  flouncing  of  a  few  hours,  we 
should  have  had  engagements  enough  to  fill  them. 
The  weather  was  unusually  warm  for  May,  the  ther- 
mometer sometimes  rising  as  high  as  90°  in  the  shade. 

As  the  weeks  passed  on,  the  temperature  became 
almost  unendurable.  The  coolest  place  in  all  New 
York  was  the  Madison  Square  Theatre.  The  ther- 
mometer had  mounted  to  100°  when  we  received 
a  box  for  an  afternoon  miscellaneous  performance  in 
aid  of  the  Edgar  Poe  Memorial  Statue.  Among  the 
many  other  things  selected  for  the  occasion  was  an 
abridged  version  of  "  The  Taming  of  the  Shrew,"  when 
Edwin  Booth  consented  to  play  Petruchio.  Nothing 
less  than  a  desire  to  see  this  celebrated  actor  would 
have  tempted  us  to  stir.  The  sun,  like  a  ball  of  bur- 
nished copper,  filled  the  skies  with  a  heat-created  mist, 
and  poured  upon  the  earth  a  fiery  atmosphere  that 
seemed  to  burn  as  it  touched  you,  and  the  very  breeze 
might  have  issued  from  the  mouth  of  a  furnace  ;  but 
we  gathered  ourselves  together — all  that  was  left  of 
us,  for  we  were  gradually  melting  away — and,  armed 
with  fans,  smelling-salts  and  sundry  antidotes  to  faint- 
ing fits,  panted  our  way  from  Forty-fifth  Street  to  a 
Sixth  Avenue  car,  which  landed  us  close  to  the  theatre. 
Immediately  on  entering,  we  felt  as  though  we  had 
left  the  hot  world  to  scorch  and  dry  up  outside,  while 
we  were  enjoying  a  soft  summer  breeze  within. 
Where  did  it  come  from  ?  The  house  was  crowded- 
there  was  not  standing-room  for  a  broomstick ;  but  the 
air  was  as  cool  and  refreshing  as  though  it  had  blown 
over  a  bank  of  spring  violets.  We  learned  the  reason 
of  this.  By  some  simple  contrivance  the  outer  air, 


288  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

circulating  through  and  among  tons  of  ice,  is  forced 
to  find  its  way  through  a  thousand  frozen  cracks  and 
crevices  before  it  enters  the  auditorium ;  thus  a  flow 
of  fresh  air  is  kept  in  constant  circulation,  which 
renders  an  afternoon  in  Madison  Square  Theatre  a 
luxury  during  the  hottest  of  dog-days. 

The  death-roll  is  terrible  during  these  hot  spells, 
sometimes  amounting  from  sun-stroke  alone  to  twenty 
in  a  single  day.  The  New  Yorkers,  however,  know 
how  to  make  the  best  of  their  semi-tropical  summer. 
The  more  sensible  portion  of  the  masculine  population 
go  about  in  their  linen  suits  and  panama  hats,  though 
some  men  cling  to  their  beloved  chimney-pot  and 
swelter  under  a  weight  of  broadcloth ;  but  no  man  is 
above  carrying  an  umbrella,  white,  green,  or  brown, 
as  the  case  may  be.  Rivers  of  iced  lemonade  are 
flowing  at  the  street  corners,  at  two  cents  per  glass. 
You  may  see  a  multitude  closing  round  and  pouring 
in  and  out  of  the  "drug  stores"  (chemists'  shops). 
You  think  there  must  have  been  an  accident — some- 
body run  over,  somebody  killed.  No  such  thing ;  it 
is  only  the  more  aristocratic  thirsty  multitude,  who 
eschew  street  corners,  crowding  in  for  their  iced 
drinks.  The  "  drug  stores  "  have,  every  one,  a  neat 
white  marble  fountain,  with  a  dozen  shining  silver 
taps,  which  pour  forth  streams  of  fruit-flavoured  iced 
drinks — pine,  cherry,  strawberry,  raspberry,  and  lemon 
cream  soda,  the  most  delicious  of  all.  From  early 
morning  till  late  in  the  evening  these  fountains  never 
cease  playing ;  small  fortunes  pour  from  their  silver 
mouths  into  the  pockets  of  their  owners. 

In  the  summer  evenings  the  whole  indoor  popu- 
lation of  New  York  seems  to  overflow  on  to  the 


SUMMER   AMONG    THE    GOTHAMITES.  289 

"  stoops  "  of  their  house.  Walking  through  some  of 
the  best  streets,  you  may  glance  in  at  the  open 
windows,  and  see  the  elegantly  furnished  vacant  rooms, 
with  their  luxurious  lounges,  paintings,  mirrors,  and 
gilded  magnificence,  mellowed  in  the  low-burning  gas- 
light, while  the  inhabitants  are  taking  the  air  on  their 
doorsteps.  The  white  moon,  shining  down  on  the 
yellow  gas-lighted  streets  ;  the  elevated  railroad,  rush- 
ing with  its  living  freight  through  the  air,  blinking 
its  green-and-red  fiery  eyes  upon  the  world  below ;  the 
tall  dark  houses,  with  their  dimly  lighted,  luxurious 
interiors  and  family  groups,  from  paterfamilias  down 
to  the  youngest-born,  the  ladies,  in  their  pretty, 
fanciful  toilettes,  taking  the  air  on  the  doorsteps ; — 
all  combine  to  form  a  pretty  picture,  quite  like  a 
theatrical  scene  on  the  broad  stage  of  life.  Rippling 
waves  of  low  laughter  and  scraps  of  musical  chit-chat 
follow  you  as  you  pass  along.  This  is  an  old  knicker- 
bocker  custom,  which  still  obtains  everywhere  except 
in  the  sacred  Fifth  Avenue,  which  confines  itself 
strictly  within  doors,  shrined  from  the  vulgar  gaze ; 
perhaps  the  nouveau  riche  element  (being  largely  re- 
presented) is  afraid  of  compromising  its  dignity  by 
following  old-fashioned  customs. 

-  As  the  weeks  passed  on  the  weather  became  more 

and  more  trying,  and  we  made  daily  excursions  to  the 

numerous    watering-places    immediately    surrounding 

New  York,  leaving  home  early  in  the  morning  and 

>  returning   the    same   evening,  which   is   easily    done. 

•Coney  Island,  one  of  the  great  resorts  for  the  million, 

is  reached   from  the  foot  of   Twenty-third    Street  in 

about  an  hour.     A  few  years  ago  it  was  a  mere  wide 

waste  of  sand,  and  was  bought  by  a  clever  speculator 


290  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

for  a  mere  song ;  it  is  now  worth  millions  of  dollars, 
and   is    covered    on    all   sides   with   a    miscellaneous 
mass   of  buildings   of  all  descriptions.     Restaurants, 
shooting-galleries,    pavilions,    and    refreshment-rooms 
to  suit  all  classes,  and  some  monster  hotels,  of  light, 
airy  structure,  lift  their  faces  towards  the  sea.    Culver, 
Brighton,  and  Manhattan   Beaches,  the   one    being  a 
continuation  of  the  other,  spread  their  wide  stretch  of 
silver  sand  along  the  side  of  the  island  and  down  to 
the  blue  Atlantic  waves  below.     There  are  no  pleasant 
walks  or  drives,  there  exists  not  a  tree,  there  is  no 
shade  from  the  fierce,  blinding  sun  to  be  found  any- 
where.    No  gray  rocks  or   picturesque   battlemented 
cliffs ;    nothing   but   the   level   island,  with   its   wide 
stretch  of  silver  sand  and  a  world  of  sea.     The  hotels 
are  crowded,  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  island  filled 
to  overflowing  during  the  season ;  the  beach  is  covered 
with   a   lively   mass   of  holiday-makers,  all   bent   on 
enjoying  themselves  ;    gay  bunting  is   flaunting  and 
flying  everywhere ;  musicians  are  hard  at  work,  beat- 
ing drums,  scraping  fiddles,  and  blowing  trumpets,  as 
though  their  very  lives  depended  on  the  noise  they 
are  making.     Altogether,  it  is  a  gay,  stirring  scene. 
Coney  Island  is  not  a  place  where  the  fashionable  or 
aristocratic   multitude   most    do    congregate ;  it   is   a 
rather  fast,  jolly,  rollicking  place,  and  serves  its  pur- 
pose well,  as  the  health-breathing  lungs  of  a  great  city. 
Rockaway  Beach  is  about  half  an  hour's  journey 
off,  and  is  disposed  to  set  up  a  race  of  rivalry  with 
Coney  Island.     Its  general  aspect  is  much  the  same — 
flat,   level   land,    and   sand,  and   sea ;    it  is   less   fre- 
quented,  less  gay,  and  certainly  has  not  such   good 
accommodation ;  but  a  very  fine  hotel  is  now  in  course 


SUMMER   AMONG    THE    GOTHAMITES.  291 

of  erection,  which  promises  very  superior  accom- 
modation to  visitors.  Rockaway  is  scarcely  as  flat  and 
barren  as  Coney  Island ;  in  its  immediate  vicinity 
clumps  of  trees  are  making  praiseworthy  efforts  to 
grow,  but  at  present  their  long,  gaunt  branches  are 
but  sparsely  covered  with  green.  Long  Branch  and 
Long  Island  are  both  of  easy  access  from  the  upper 
part  of  the  city,  by  ferry  and  rail ;  they  are  equally 
favourite  watering-places  with  those  already  men- 
tioned, though  of  a  rather  different  character  ;  they 
do  not  depend  for  popularity  on  a  floating  population, 
being  the  resort  (Long  Branch  especially  so)  of  the 
more  fashionable  public.  There  are  whole  legions  of 
hotels,  and  squadrons  of  boarding-houses,  together 
with  numerous  elegant  villas  or  cottage  residences, 
which  are  let  by  the  season,  to  such  as  prefer  the 
freedom  of  their  own  household  to  establishing  them- 
selves in  an  hotel.  Many  build  their  own  fanciful 
dwellings,  and  migrate  thither  in  early  summer,  and 
remain  till  the  chill  autumn  breezes  drive  them  back 
to  the  city  ;  others  make  it  their  head-quarters,  and 
reside  there  all  the  year  round. 

Long  Branch  is  a  delightful  place.  You  can  choose 
your  companionship,  and  join  the  coteries  of  pleasant 
society,  and  have  as  much  gaiety  or  as  much  social 
seclusion  as  you  please.  Some  of  the  first-class  hotels, 
which  are  largely  patronized  by  transient  travellers, 
have  been  erected  on  the  low  bluff  which  rises  behind 
the  strip  of  sandy  beach.  A  fine  wide  avenue  runs 
between  them  and  the  sea.  They  are  none  of  them 
grand,  imposing-looking  buildings,  and  have  no  pre- 
tensions to  architectural  beauty,  being  for  the  most 
part  long,  low,  frame-houses,  with  wide  verandahs  and 


294  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

It  was  decided  among  us  that  "  Sam's  Point,"  a 
lofty  peak  of  the  Shewangunk,  must  be  visited.  We 
started  one  bright  morning  by  a  narrow  winding  road 
which  is  carried  along  the  face  of  the  mountain, 
climbing  upwards  through  tangled  brushwood,  past 
banks  of  flowering  laurel,  their  shining  leaves  half 
hidden  by  their  luxuriant  masses  of  delicate  pink 
and  white  blossoms  ;  up,  still  up,  through  forests  of 
pine  and  fir,  over  broken  masses  of  lichen-covered 
boulders,  with  fantastic  rocks  looming  on  every  side, 
and  on  over  sloping  stretches  of  breezy  uplands,  till  we 
came  to  a  strip  of  table-land.  The  horses  pricked  up 
their  ears  and  put  on  a  "  spurt."  Poor,  tired  brutes  ! 
they  had  travelled  that  road  often  enough,  and  could 
find  their  way  to  the  low-lying  shanty,  where  they 
know  they  are  to  be  stabled  for  the  next  hour  or  two, 
without  any  of  our  guidance.  At  this  stage  of  our 
journey  we  came  in  close  view  of  "  Sam's  Point,"  stand- 
ing out  in  clear-cut  lines  against  the  sky. 

Here,  according  to  the  general  custom,  we  unpacked 
our  luncheon-basket.  It  was  filled  with  such  good 
things,  and  so  many  of  them,  we  hardly  knew  which 
to  begin  first.  We  spread  our  feast  under  the  shadow 
of  a  belt  of  dark  trees,  the  last  of  their  line  that  can 
lift  their  heads  and  grow  on  the  now  barren,  flinty 
soil.  With  much  fun  and  laughter  we  got  through  a 
luxurious  meal  ;  then  our  general  commanding  for  the 
season  insisted  that  we  must  climb  to  the  very  top  of 
"  Sam's  Point."  We  obey,  and  start  on  a  scrambling 
expedition  up  the  sloping  stony  path,  where  straggling 
thorny  bushes  caught  us  viciously  at  every  turn.  With 
the  hot  sun  blazing  fiercely  upon  us,  and  a  high,  warm 
wind  almost  blowing  us  off  our  feet,  we  struggled  on 


SUMMER   AMONG    THE    GOTHAMITES.  295 

to  the  top.  No,  not  quite  the  top  :  we  halted  on  a  rocky 
platform,  just  below  the  extreme  point,  and  looked  down 
from  its  dizzy,  precipitous  height  upon  the  lovely  land- 
scape below,  lying  in  the  peaceful  smile  of  a  glorious 
sunshine,  rolling  and  spreading  out  hundreds  of  feet 
below,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  Dark  belts  of  forest 
trees  outline  the  distant  horizon,  thickets  and  wild  woods 
sweep  down  through  the  hilly  defiles,  reach  out  their 
green  arms,  and  run  like  a  fancy  network  of  nature's 
cunningest  pattern  over  the  valleys,  while  the  silver 
thread  of  a  river  runs  round  and  about,  lacing  the 
green  meadow  lands  together.  Scores  of  white  villages, 
dwarfed  by  distance  till  they  look  like  collections  of 
dolls'  houses,  are  scattered  over  the  plains  or  cling  to 
the  sloping  hillsides.  The  colouring,  and  the  lights  and 
shadows  falling  everywhere,  give  an  additional  charm 
to  the  exquisite  picture  before  us.  It  holds  us  like 
a  magnet ;  we  cannot  tear  ourselves  away  from  it ;  we 
perch  ourselves  on  the  narrow  parapet  and  gaze  our 
fill.  There  is  a  mellowness  and  balm  in  the  atmo- 
sphere, and  slowly  a  soft  pink  mist  falls  over  the  land- 
scape like  a  bridal  veil,  and  covers  everything  with  a 
tender  mystery. 

We  turn  and  scramble  down  the  stony  path,  and  are 
soon  winding  our  way  down  the  mountain  road  home- 
ward, still  feasting  our  eyes  with  delicious  bits  of 
scenery  as  we  go  along.  We  drive  round  among  the 
foothills  to  get  a  view  of  the  Nopanoc  falls,  which  are 
only  about  half  an  hour  from  Ellenville.  They  are 
not  grand  or  imposing,  nor  do  they  fall  from  any 
visible  height,  but  they  are  beautiful  from  their  wild 
surroundings,  and  come  creaming  and  foaming  down  the 
rugged  mountain-sides,  till  they  reach  the  stony  bed 


296  THROUGH    CITIES   AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

below,  and  flow  on  beneath  our  feet  to  their  far-off 
watery  home  ;  they  seem  arranged  by  nature  for 
transfer  to  an  artist's  canvas.  Tired  though  we  were* 
with  our  long  day's  outing,  we  enjoyed  our  homeward 
drive  through  the  evening  shadows.  There  was  no 
moon,  and  the  dusky  air  was  full  of  fireflies,  floating 
about,  like  globes  of  living  light ;  and  the  "  whip-poor- 
will  "  commenced  his  melancholy  plaint,  which  he 
never  utters  till  the  day  is  done.  The  bird  came  to  his 
curious  cognomen  something  in  this  wise.  A  be- 
nighted sinner  commonly  called  "  Poor  Will  "  was 
stumbling  home  late  one  night  when  the  bird  began 
to  sing,  and  to  his  muddled  ears  the  notes  arranged 
themselves  into  the  words,  "  Whip  poor  Will."  He 
knew  he  deserved  whipping,  and  believed  that  an  order 
for  his  future  castigation  was  being  despatched 
through  some  mysterious  agency  to  the  realms  above. 
Thenceforth,  whipped  by  the  stings  of  an  awakened 
conscience,  he  set  to  and  repented  as  hard  as  he  had 
sinned,  and  the  name  stuck  to  the  bird  ever  after- 
wards. 

The  "  whip-poor-will's"  notes  had  hardly  died  away, 
when  the  frogs,  huge  green  goggle-eyed  monsters, 
commenced  their  croaking  concert,  which  is  by  no 
means  an  unpleasant  thing  to  listen  to ;  it  goes  with 
a  rather  musical,  monotonous  swing,  quite  different 
from  the  harsh  croak  of  their  froggy  brethren  on  our 
side  of  the  water. 

The  next  morning  we  returned  to  New  York,  to 
rest  one  more  night,  our  last,  in  that  city  previous  to 
our  visit  to  Boston.  We  left  Ellenville  with  much 
regret.  I  know  of  no  place  where  one  could  so  delight- 


SUMMER    AMONG    THE    GOTHAMITES.  297 

fully  dream  away  the  long  summer  days,  as  in  that 
rural  little  village  with  its  tempting  and  delightful 
surrounding.  It  is  reached  by  the  Erie  Eailway  from 
Jersey  City,  and  is  about  four  hours'  journey  from 
New  York. 


296  THROUGH    CITIES   AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

below,  and  flow  on  beneath  our  feet  to  their  far-off 
watery  home  ;  they  seem  arranged  by  nature  for 
transfer  to  an  artist's  canvas.  Tired  though  we  were" 
with  our  long  day's  outing,  we  enjoyed  our  homeward 
drive  through  the  evening  shadows.  There  was  no 
moon,  and  the  dusky  air  was  full  of  fireflies,  floating 
about,  like  globes  of  living  light ;  and  the  "  whip-poor- 
will  "  commenced  his  melancholy  plaint,  which  he 
never  utters  till  the  day  is  done.  The  bird  came  to  his 
curious  cognomen  something  in  this  wise.  A  be- 
nighted sinner  commonly  called  "  Poor  Will  "  was 
stumbling  home  late  one  night  when  the  bird  began 
to  sing,  and  to  his  muddled  ears  the  notes  arranged 
themselves  into  the  words,  "  Whip  poor  Will."  He 
knew  he  deserved  whipping,  and  believed  that  an  order 
for  his  future  castigation  was  being  despatched 
through  some  mysterious  agency  to  the  realms  above. 
Thenceforth,  whipped  by  the  stings  of  an  awakened 
conscience,  he  set  to  and  repented  as  hard  as  he  had 
sinned,  and  the  name  stuck  to  the  bird  ever  after- 
wards. 

The  "  whip-poor-will's"  notes  had  hardly  died  away, 
when  the  frogs,  huge  green  goggle-eyed  monsters, 
commenced  their  croaking  concert,  which  is  by  no 
means  an  unpleasant  thing  to  listen  to ;  it  goes  with 
a  rather  musical,  monotonous  swing,  quite  different 
from  the  harsh  croak  of  their  froggy  brethren  on  our 
side  of  the  water. 

The  next  morning  we  returned  to  New  York,  to 
rest  one  more  night,  our  last,  in  that  city  previous  to 
our  visit  to  Boston.  We  left  Ellen ville  with  much 
regret.  I  know  of  no  place  where  one  could  so  delight- 


SUMMER    AMONG    THE    GOTHAMITES.  297 

fully  dream  away  the  long  slimmer  days,  as  in  that 
rural  little  village  with  its  tempting  and  delightful 
surrounding.  It  is  reached  by  the  Erie  Eailway  from 
Jersey  City,  and  is  about  four  hours'  journey  from 
New  York. 


298  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


THE  "AMERICAN  ATHENS." 

Aboard  the  Massachusetts — A  Perambulation — The  Electric  Ma- 
chine— An  Easy  Way  of  committing  Suicide — Boston — The 
Cars— The  Common— The  "  Glorious  Fourth  of  July." 

THERE  had  been  so  many  terrible  accidents  by  the 
river  steamers  during  the  last  few  weeks,  that  we  were 
half  inclined  to  go  to  Boston  by  rail ;  but  on  reflection 
we  determined  not  to  yield  to  an  imaginary  evil. 
Judging  by  averages,  we  ought  to  have  a  safe  passage, 
for  one  of  the  finest  vessels  had  been  destroyed  by 
fire  only  two  days  before,  and  great  disasters  are  rarely 
continuous.  Because  misfortune  had  happened  to 
other  people,  it  was  no  reason  it  should  tread  upon 
our  heels  also. 

Accordingly,  we  started  on  one  of  the  finest  Provi- 
dence Boats,  the  Massachusetts,  for  Boston,  leaving 
New  York  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  We  spent 
the  few  remaining  hours  of  daylight  in  admiring  the 
river  scenery,  as  our  majestic  boat  steamed  towards  the 
Sound,  and  enjoying  the  brisk  sea-breezes.  Never 
had  the  "  briny  kisses "  of  the  great  sweet  mother 
seemed  so  fresh  and  invigorating.  The  captain,  to 
whom  we  had  been  previously  introduced,  invited  us 


THE  "AMERICAN  ATHENS."  299 

into  the  wheelhouse,  which,  contrary  to  our  home 
custom,  is  lifted  high  up  above  the  deck,  commanding 
a  clear  view  of  all  surrounding  objects.  There  we 
watched  with  great  interest  the  steering  and  working 
of  the  vessel.  The  bell  seemed  always  to  be  ringing 
its  signal,  warning  the  small  craft  out  of  our  way,  and 
informing  the  larger  craft  which  way  we  would  "  keep 
her  head." 

Afterwards  we  descended  into  the  engine-room,  and 
found  the  huge  monster  well  worth  seeing — its  black 
body  bound  in  bright  bands,  and  studded  with  polished 
decorations  of  brass  and  steel,  like  a  grim  warrior 
wearing  his  coat  of  mail.  We  saw  him  fed  with  his 
vast  furnace  fires.  He  seemed  always  hungry,  opening 
his  red  mouth  for  more  food.  We  watched  its  gigantic 
walking  beam  rise  and  fall,  in  its  solemn  march  across 
the  world  of  waters.  The  vessel  in  all  parts  is  lighted 
by  electricity ;  and  we  were  allowed  to  go  downstairs 
to  inspect  the  generating  apparatus.  In  order  to  reach 
it  we  had  to  go  through  the  machinery-room,  where 
the  crashing,  groaning,  and  thudding,  the  rapid 
whirling  of  wheels,  and  clanking  to  and  fro  of  count- 
less bars,  and  the  up-and-down  stroke  of  the  piston, 
deafened  our  ears,  dazzled  bur  eyes,  and  bewildered  our 
senses,  while  the  walking  beam  above,  the  great  pro- 
pelling power  of  all,  tramped  steadily  on. 

We  passed  through  this  distracting  place,  crossed  a 
narrow  passage,  and  at  the  end  of  it  found  ourselves 
in  an  empty  room — empty  except  for  the  electric 
machine,  with  its  invisible  wonders  working  before  our 
eyes.  We  could  not  absolutely  see  the  machine  ;  its 
evolutions  were  so  rapid,  they  might  have  been  im- 
pelled by  lightning.  It  was  surrounded  by  scintilla- 


300  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

ting  sparks  of  weird  greenish  light,  playing  round  it  as 
though  some  fiery  genie  was  confined  therein.  There 
was  not  much  noise,  only  a  whizzing,  whirring  sound, 
and  the  ground  shook  beneath  our  feet  with  a  quivering 
motion  like  a  living  thing  in  mortal  pain.  Eadiating 
from  the  machine  were  sundry  thin  wires,  each  con- 
ducting the  illuminating  power  to  the  decks  and 
saloons,  both  above  and  below.  Two  wires  ran  per- 
pendicularly one  on  each  side  of  the  apparatus,  one 
conducting  the  negative,  the  other  the  positive  current. 
Each  one  might  be  handled  singly  with  impunity,  but 
a  simultaneous  touch  of  the  two  together  would  be 
fraught  with  instant  death.  This  easy  mode  of  com- 
mitting suicide  lay  within  reach  of  our  hands.  We 
shuddered,  and  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  lest  a  sudden 
impulse  might  tempt  us  to  try  the  experiment.  How 
many  unintentional  suicides  have  been  hurried  into 
eternity  by  the  uncontrollable  impulse  of  a  moment ! 

About  seven  o'clock  a  capital  dinner,  a  la  carte,  was 
served,  and  we  had  the  double  delight  of  enjoying  a 
dainty  meal,  and  watching  the  sunset  from  the  saloon 
windows.  There  was  no  gorgeous  colouring  such  as 
sometimes  clothes  the  western  skies  with  the  barbaric 
splendour  of  crimson,  amethyst,  green,  and  gold  ;  but 
the  whole  hemisphere  where  the  sun  went  down  was 
filled  with  floating  islands  of  golden  light,  sailing 
hither  and  thither  in  the  face  of  the  pale-blue  sky. 
But  soon  came  the  twilight,  trailing  her  dusky  skirts 
between  land  and  sea,  and  shut  the  heavens  from  our 
sight. 

After  dinner  we  went  on  deck,  but  there  was 
nothing  to  tempt  us  to  stay  there.  It  was  a  cool  gray 
evening ;  there  was  no  moon,  and  not  a  star  was 


THE  "AMERICAN  ATHENS."  301 

visible ;  we  therefore  went  into  the  grand  saloon, 
which  is  gorgeously  upholstered  in  crimson  velvet,  and 
decorated  with  much  carving  and  gilding,  while 
mirrors  and  looking-glasses  reflect  and  multiply  you 
by  dozens  on  every  side.  A  piano  stood  at  the  farther 
end,  and  there  was  already  a  man  in  possession.  He 
was  short,  he  was  fat,  he  was  bald,  and  wore  an 
immense  pair  of  green  goggles,  such  as  are  rarely  worn 
except  when  crossing  the  ice.  He  looked  as  stupid  and 
stolid  as  an  animated  jelly-fish,  and  knew  as  little  about 
music  as  an  oyster  ;  but  he  sang,  out  of  tune  and  out  of 
time,  the  most  lugubrious  ditties.  He  enjoyed  them  if 
nobody  else  did.  When  he  got  to  the  end  of  one,  he 
began  another.  He  might  have  seen  the  expression  of 
disgust  on  everybody's  face,  but  he  was  self-absorbed, 
he  never  looked  ;  if  any  one  attempted  to  talk  within 
earshot,  he  glared  round  reproachfully  and  sang  louder 
than  before.  It  is  strange,  but  painfully  true :  it  is 
precisely  those  people  who  can  neither  play  nor  sing 
who  attempt  to  do  both  for  the  torture  of  their  fellow- 
passengers  on  those  river  excursions,  and  perhaps  on 
some  other  occasions. 

We  were  driven  to  our  state-room  early,  and  the 
first  thing  that  met  our  sight  was  a  huge  pair  of 
ominous-looking  life-preservers.  We  tried  them  on, 
saw  that  they  fitted  and  fastened  correctly,  then 
leisurely  proceeded  to  plait  our  hair  in  long  pigtails 
for  the  convenience  of  our  escort,  so  that,  in  case 
of  accidents,  he  might  float  us  easily.  We  had  passed 
the  wrecked  remains  of  the  Seawanhaka  an  hour 
before;  it  had  been  destroyed  by  fire,  and  scores  of 
its  passengers  had  met  their  death  within  fifty  yards 
of  the  shore.  These  river  boats  are  splendid  to  look 


302  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

at,  luxurious  to  travel  in,  but  if  a  fire  once  seizes  on 
any  part  of  the  vessel,  being  made  of  wood,  it  burns 
like  a  matchbox ;  there  is  no  hope  for  it.  There  was 
nothing  left  of  the  unfortunate  Seawanhaka  but  the 
huge  boiler  and  a  few  ribs  of  iron,  lying  like  a 
mutilated  skeleton  on  the  shore.  It  was  not  a  pleasant 
picture  to  possess  our  mind  the  last  thing  at  night; 
but  we  went  to  bed,  and,  strange  to  say,  slept  soundly 
enough  until  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  we 
were  served  with  a  comfortable  breakfast,  and  left  the 
boat  at  Providence>  where  the  train  was  waiting,  and 
in  about  an  hour  we  reached  Boston. 

It  was  one  of  the  loveliest  of  summer  mornings. 
A  kind  of  spiritual  sunshine  lay  upon  the  silent  land 
as  we  drove  through  the  empty  streets,  for  at  that 
early  hour  few  people  were  astir.  We  felt  as  though 
we  were  entering  some  solemn  cathedral  town  of  the 
Old  World ;  everything  is  so  different  from  any  other 
American  city  which  we  have  lately  been  passing 
through.  There  are  no  long,  straight  streets,  no  lines 
of  tall  stone  houses,  whose  sameness  wearies  the  sight ; 
no  dull  monotony  here.  The  streets  are  labyrinthine ; 
they  radiate  from  all  sides  and  cross  at  all  angles  ; 
they  run  up  and  down,  round  corners,  curving  or 
straight,  wide  or  narrow.  There  is  no  irritating 
uniformity  anywhere. 

From  the  first  glance  we  feel  that  this  city  has 
a  character  of  its  own,  and  that  character  is  essentially 
English.  There  is  a  certain  undefinable  something 
in  the  general  aspect  of  the  place  and  of  the  people 
which  makes  us  feel  near  home.  Familiar  names  greet 
us  at  street  corners,  their  nomenclature  being  similar 
to  our  own.  No  tubs  of  household  refuse  stand  on  the 


THE    "AMERICAN   ATHENS."  303 

side- walks,  or  flow  over  into  the  gutter.     The  streets 
are  beautifully  clean ;  it  is  a  pleasure  to  walk  in  them. 
Beacon  Street,  which  is  one  of  the  most  fashionable 
localities,  reminds  us  forcibly  of  Park  Lane  ;  in  fact, 
it    is    Park    Lane,   in    miniature,    seen   through   the 
wrong  end  of  a  telescope.    The  houses  are  all  in  good 
taste,  though  of  different  sizes  and  varied  forms  of 
architecture.     Some  have  old-fashioned  bay  windows, 
others  are  flat  fronted,  some  of  white  or  gray  stone, 
some  of  cherry-red  bricks.     One  has  its  balcony  and 
window-sills  filled  with  bright-hued  and  sweet-smell- 
ing flowers ;  another  is  literally  covered  with  Westeria, 
all  abloom  with  rich  purple  blossoms.     It  is  the  pretty 
floral  decorations  and  varied  style  of  building  which 
gives  it  so  quaint  and  picturesque  an  appearance.     It 
stands  on  gently  rising  ground.     At  the  top  is  the 
State  House,  a  very  handsome  colonnaded   building, 
crowned  with  a  huge  bronze  cupola  shining  like  bur- 
nished gold,  dominating  the  landscape  and  visible  for 
miles  round. 

In  front,  railed  in  with  light  elegant  railings,  and 
running  the  whole  length  of  Beacon  Street,  is  the 
"  Common,"  as  the  Bostonians  modestly  call  it,  though 
it  is  in  reality  a  very  beautiful  park ;  but  a  park  with- 
out carriage  drives,  devoted  entirely  to  pedestrian 
exercise.  There  is  a  fine  growth  of  forest  trees,  which 
for  centuries  cannot  have  had  an  axe  among  them. 
There  are  fountains,  too,  and  flower-gardens,  and  com- 
fortable seats  arranged  under  the  umbrageous  shade  of 
the  spreading  walnut  trees.  On  one  mound  of  ele- 
vated ground  is  a  handsome  memorial  in  honour  of 
their  dead  ancestors ;  in  another  part  of  the  common, 
on  a  greater  elevation,  stands  an  equestrian  statue  of 


304  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

General  Washington.  No  city  is  complete  without  a 
statue  of  the  founder  of  the  United  States.  The 
common  is  a  delightful  rural  promenade  and  pleasure- 
ground,  and  when  the  band  is  playing  presents  a  most 
brilliant  and  imposing  scene. 

The  absence  of  the  tobacco-chewing   process  and 
its  disgusting  results  is  another  striking   feature   in 
Boston.     You  may  walk   through   the  public   streets 
or  ride  in  the  cars  the  whole  day  long  without  once 
being  subject  to  the  nuisance  to  which  we  ought  to 
have  become  accustomed.     In  the  streets,  on  the  cars, 
or  among  the  people,  you  recognize  a  familiar  Old- 
World  look,  and  signs  of  refinement  and  cultivation 
everywhere.     Even  a  Boston  crowd  is  a  well-behaved, 
orderly  gathering.     We  were  there  on  the  4th  of  July. 
In  the  morning,  escorted  by  a  friend  whose  name  will 
remain  ever   green   in  our   memory,  we  went  to  an 
entertainment  at   the    grand   opera-house,    which   we 
imagined  would  partake  of  a  national  character.     We 
expected  to  hear  martial  music  and  the  national  airs 
sang  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  people  who  "  exulted  to 
be  free  ;  "  but  we  didn't.     The  concert  was  confined  to 
a  few  everyday  melodies — "  The  Old  Folks  at  Home  " 
and  "Annie  Laurie"- — all  well  enough  in  their  way, 
but  hardly  suited  to  such  an  occasion  as  the  "  glorious 
fourth."     Then,  for   the   first   time   in  our   lives,  we 
heard   the  "  Act  of  Independence "  read,  with   great 
emphasis  and  distinctness.     We  felt  we  ought  to  have 
blushed — but  didn't. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  grand  display  of 
fireworks,  an  open  air  orchestral  concert,  and  other 
amusements.  The  people  swarmed  upon  the  common 
by  hundreds  and  thousands  of  all  classes,  all  degrees. 


THE  "  AMERICAN  ATHENS.  305 

There  were  no  "  reserved  seats,"  and  no  possibility  of 
enjoying  any  part  of  the  festivity  in  "  luxurious  ease." 
Anybody  who  wished  to  see  or  enjoy  anything  must 
go  on  foot.  It  is  this  temporary  incorporation  of  the 
refined  with  the  rougher  elements  of  humanity  which 
makes  an  American  crowd  different  from  any  other. 
There  is  no  pushing,  no  horse-play,  no  practical  joking  ; 
nobody  hustles  or  tramples  on  you.  It  is  essentially 
a  polite  crowd.  Of  course  we  never  got  into  one 
from  choice,  but  sometimes  from  necessity  found  our- 
selves in  the  midst  of  it,  and  everywhere,  in  other 
cities  besides  Boston,  found  the  same  orderly  behaviour. 

On  the  evening  of  the  "  glorious  fourth  "  we  went 
out,  with  a  pleasant  titillation  of  curiosity,  mingled 
with  a  nervous  notion  that  brickbats  might  be  flying, 
or  squibs  and  crackers  be  fizzing  about  too  freely,  or, 
perhaps,  some  little  patriotic  pleasantry  awkwardly 
demonstrated. 

An  American  visiting  in  England  had  said  on  a 
previous  "  fourth,"  "  Ah  !  in  my  country  every  man 
will  be  gloriously  drunk  to-night ;  not  a  single  one 
will  go  sober  to  bed."  This  perhaps  coloured  our  ideas 
of  the  "  glorious  fourth  ;  "  whereas  it  might  have  been 
the  fourth  of  any  other  month.  The  concerts  which 
took  place  on  different  parts  of  the  common  were  by 
no  means  of  a  patriotic  or  exhilarating  nature.  The 
orchestras  were  excellent,  the  music  well  played,  but 
ill  chosen ;  that  is,  ill  chosen  for  such  an  occasion.  It 
was  chiefly  classical.  Occasionally  it  pranced  off  into 
a  waltz,  and  encouraged  the  idea  of  frivolity  for  a 
moment,  but  was  speedily  recalled  under  cover  of  the 
big  drum,  and  a  more  select  fugue  or  fantasia  took  its 
.place.  Classical  music  is  not  fitting  for  an  open-air 


306  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

promenade,  when  nobody's  attention  can  be  wholly 
absorbed  by  it,"  as  should  be  the  case  when  good  music 
is  being  played.  Fancy  a  running  fire  of  chit-chat,  or 
cannonade  of  laughter  being  carried  on,  while  the 
solemn  strains  of  Handel,  the  subtle  harmonies  of 
Beethoven,  or  sweet  melodies  of  Joseph  Haydn  are 
filling  the  air  !  Merry  catching  tunes  or  patriotic  airs 
are  best  suited  to  these  occasions,  but  never  the  ghost 
of  one  was  abroad  that  night.  John  Brown's  soul 
might  have  marched  to  the  end  of  his  journey,  and  lain 
down  to  undisturbed  rest ;  there  was  no  one  to  "  rally 
round  the  flag,"  shouting  the  battle-cry  of  freedom. 
The  star-spangled  banner  was  folded  away  out  of  sight, 
but  the  stars  and  stripes  fluttered  faintly  from  a  few 
windows,  and  that  was  all. 

The  fireworks  crackled  and  fizzed,  while  the  multi- 
tude looked  solemnly  on.  Eoman  candles  burnt  blue, 
showers  of  golden  light  were  falling,  Catherine  wheels 
were  whirling  in  circles  of  brilliant  colours,  fantastic 
designs,  and  fine  set  pieces  blazed  on  all  sides.  We 
made .  our  bow  to  an  illuminated  President,  and 
watched  the  American  eagle  light  himself  up  with  a 
golden  body,  bright-green  wings,  and  ruby  claws,  big 
enough  to  clutch  the  world  by  the  throat.  He  was  a 
gorgeous  bird,  and  dazzled  our  sight  for  a  few  moments, 
and  then  faded  from  it.  We  went  home  to  bed  with  a 
virtuous  feeling  that  we  had  assisted  at  the  celebration 
of  the  "  glorious  fourth." 

The  arrangements  for  street  traffic  in  Boston  are 
as  nearly  perfect  as  they  can  be.  Cars  are  running 
everywhere  every  minute  of  the  day.  Most  comfort- 
able cars  they  are — a  great  improvement  upon  any 
similar  conveyances  we  had  seen  in  any  other  part  of 


THE    "AMERICAN   ATHENS."  307 

the  States.  Some  are  closed,  some  are  open  ;  the  seats 
are  placed  so  that  every  one  sits  face  forward.  They 
are  splendidly  horsed,  and  you  can  fly  in  the  face  of 
the  wind  from  one  end  of  the  city  to  another  for  five 
cents  (2Jd.).  It  is  well  lighted,  and  the  numerous 
cars,  with  their  coloured  bulls'-eyes  behind  and  before, 
illuminate  the  streets,  like  the  flashing  of  monster 
fireflies. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  are  handsome  churches,  mu- 
seums, picture-galleries,  etc.  No  one  need  ever  pass 
a  dull  day  in  this  intellectual  and  cultivated  city. 
Like  Washington  and  Philadelphia,  Boston  is  exclusive 
in  the  matter  of  society.  Its  social  laws  are  many,  and 
strictly  kept.  Reserved  and  dignified  in  its  every- 
day life,  it  is  not  over  given  to  demonstrative  rejoicing, 
even  among  its  best  friends.  We  have  all  our  little 
weaknesses,  and  perhaps  Boston  may  be  a  little  vain  of 
its  intellect  and  refinement.  "  We  don't  do  '  that '  in 
Boston,"  is  a  common  phrase,  and  considered  strong 
enough  to  condemn  "that"  when  it  is  done  else- 
where. 

The  rural  surroundings  of  Boston  are  very  beauti- 
ful ;  but  the  interest  of  most  tourists  centres  in  the 
city  itself,  which,  besides  its  many  attractions,  is  the 
home  of  two  men  who  have  made  the  genius  of 
America  known  and  honoured  in  every  quarter  of  the 
civilized  world — I  mean  of  the  Poet  Longfellow,  and 
the  genial  philosophical  poet  and  essayist,  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes. 


308  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

FAREWELL   VISITS. 

A  Visit  to  Longfellow— The  Poet's  Home— Dr.  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes — Newport — A  Fashionable  Watering-place — The  Old 
Town—The  "  Cottages  " — Homeward. 

IT  is  not  admissible,  as  a  rule,  to  turn  the  result  of  a 
private  visit  into  public  copy.  To  be  received  into 
a  family  circle  on  terms  of  social  equality,  and  there 
gather  up  scraps  of  conversation,  and  turn  the  sayings 
and  doings  of  the  unsuspecting  household  into  public 
property,  is  a  most  ungracious  return  for  kindly 
hospitality ;  therefore  I  have  hitherto  avoided  all 
mention  of  my  private  friends  in  these  pages.  But 
every  rule  has  an  exception,  and  as  the  general  world 
is  supposed  to  be  interested  in,  and  are  kept  fully 
informed  of,  the  most  trivial  circumstances  surrounding 
the  royal  rulers  of  nations,  I  take  it  for  granted  that  a 
much  livelier  interest  must  cling  round  the  monarchs 
of  mind,  whose  names  are  "  familiar  to  our  ears  as 
household  words"  —  whose  gentle  genius,  playful 
humour,  or  tender  philosophy  has  coloured  the  lives 
and  gladdened  the  hearts  of  thousands,  and  helped  to 
make  the  ignorant  wise  and  the  wise  happy.  Their 
thoughts  come  to  us  over  land  and  over  sea ;  invisibly 


FAREWELL   VISITS.  309 

and  subtly,  as  the  sweet  fresh  air  we  breathe,  they 
permeate  our  lives,  and  become  a  part  of  us,  circulating, 
with  a  pure  ennobling  influence,  from  the  cottage  to 
the  palace.  These  are  the  only  true  magicians,  god- 
inspired  workers  of  miracles ;  shrined  in  the  sanctity 
of  their  own  peaceful  homes,  they  are  working  to  give 
light  to  the  blind  old  world,  that  it  may  be  better  for 
their  lives  when  the  Great  Master  calls  them  home. 

We  should  have  been  sorely  disappointed  if  we 
had  been  compelled  to  leave  Boston  without  paying 
our  affectionate  homage  to  Longfellow,  whose  name 
is  associated  with  our  earliest  awakening  thoughts. 
He  had  been  so  often  with  us  in  spirit  for  this  many 
a  long  year,  that  we  longed  to  see  him  in  the  flesh  ; 
it  was  therefore  with  great  pleasure  we  received  an 
invitation  to  pay  him  a  visit  at  his  marine  residence, 
Nahant,  where  he  generally  spends  the  summer 
months.  Nahant  lies  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic, 
just  outside  Boston  Harbour.  We  had  a  glorious  sail, 
for  it  was  one  of  summer's  loveliest  days — earth,  air, 
sea,  and  sky  were  all  invisibly  blended  in  one  perfect 
harmony.  Our  brief,  bright  journey  was  soon  over, 
and  on  turning  a  sudden  point  of  the  bay  we  found 
ourselves  scudding  along  on  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic. 
Nahant  was  before  us.  Longfellow's  house  was 
pointed  out  to  us  from  the  vessel ;  it  seemed  to  be 
lying  close  on  the  shore,  but  in  reality  it  stands  on 
elevated  rising  ground,  open  to  the  sea,  but  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  it.  A  carriage  waited  on  the 
landing-stage  to  convey  us  to  the  house — an  attention 
for  which  we  were  grateful,  as  a  walk  uphill,  even  for 
so  short  a  distance,  in  the  face  of  a  blazing  sun,  was 
not  desirable.  After  a  short  breezy  drive,  the  carriage 


310  THROUGH    CITIES   AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

stopped  at  a  delightfully  picturesque  villa,  or  cottage 
ornee,  though  it  was  more  like  a  Swiss  chalet  than 
either.  A  child  was  playing  with  its  toys  and  dolls 
in  the  verandah  which  ran  round  the  four  sides  of  the 
house,  and  two  gentlemen  were  seated  in  rocking- 
chairs  facing  the  wide  winding  road.  As  we  drove 
up,  one  of  the  gentlemen  rose  and  came  down  the 
steps  and  across  the  small  front  garden  to  meet  us. 
There  was  no  mistaking  the  man — it  was  our  host 
himself;  we  had  seen  him  often  gazing  at  us  with 
stony  photographic  eyes  from  the  shop-windows 
thousands  of  miles  away,  but  no  more  like  the  poet's 
actual  self  than  a  stagnant  pool  is  like  the  living  sea. 
We  observed  him  well  as  he  came  down  the  steps, 
with  a  gracious  dignity  born  of  a  benignant  spirit. 
He  is  tall,  slight,  and  erect  as  a  soldier  on  duty,  with 
refined  features,  and  a  pale  complexion,  with  a  slight 
tinge  of  colour  on  his  cheeks,  almost  as  delicate  as  the 
blush  of  a  woman,  kind  blue  eyes,  and  wavy  hair,  which 
is  more  white  than  gray ;  he  wears  a  beard,  has  long 
shapely  white  hands  that  any  lady  might  be  proud 
of;  his  voice  is  peculiarly  soft,  and  his  manners  full  of 
that  gentle  courtliness  which  is  fast  dying  out.  He 
is  in  his  seventy-fourth  year,  but  looks  considerably 
younger.  There  is  none  of  the  physical  feebleness  or 
querulous  spirit  of  age  about  him ;  he  seems  now  to 
be  in  the  full  autumn-tide  of  a  hale,  healthy  life.  Time 
is  dealing  very  gently  with  him,  leading  him  imper- 
ceptibly (as  it  is  leading  us  all)  down  the  valley 
towards  "  the  silent  land  "  which  he  has  told  us  of. 

After  shaking  hands  and  exchanging  the  usual 
greetiogs,  he  presented  us  to  his  two  brothers-in-law, 
who  reside  with  him.  The  household  was  not  entirely 


FAKEWELL   VISITS.  311 

masculine,  however ;  the  poet's  two  daughters  were 
out  in  their  yacht  enjoying  a  sail :  the  one  is  married, 
and,  with  her  little  child,  is  only  on  a  visit ;  the  other, 
a  very  charming  young  lady,  lives  at  home  with  her 
father.  We  went  through  the  house  and  sat  in  the 
back  verandah.  A  tempting-looking  hammock  swung 
there,  and  wild  roses  climbed  up  the  lattice-work  and 
nodded  their  odorous  heads  at  us,  and  showered  their 
pink  petals  at  our  feet.  The  poet  gathered  us  a  bunch 
of  the  fairest  blossoms ;  they  lie  faded  and  scentless 
in  my  album  to-day,  but  the  memory  of  that  July 
afternoon  at  Naharit  is  fresh  and  green  still. 

We  sat  there  chatting  in  a  pleasant  way  of  the  Old 
World  and  the  New ;  the  gray  Atlantic,  scarcely 
wrinkled  in  the  light  breeze,  lay  before  us.  We 
watched  the  various  vessels — light  brigs,  sloops,  and 
schooners,  all  full-rigged  to'  catch  the  breeze,  and 
stately,  steamers  on  their  march  across  the  world  of 
waters,  and  pretty  yachts,  some  curtsying  to  their 
own  shadows,  others  with  their  white  sails  spread,  like 
gigantic  swans  skimming  over  the  face  of  the  ocean. 
Presently  the  one  particular  yacht  we  awaited  came 
prancing  over  the  tiny  waves,  like  a  steed  that  knows 
he  is  nearing  home.  The  two  ladies  sprang  ashore, 
and  speedily  made  a  pleasant  addition  to  our  party  in 
the  verandah.  The  time  passed  only  too  quickly.  The 
pretty,  fair-haired  little  grandchild  sat  in  the  lap  of  its 
blooming  young  mother,  playing  and  prattling  its  baby 
prattle.  It  was  an  idyllic  picture,  with  its  pleasant 
home  surroundings — a  living  illustration  of  three 
stages  of  life  :  the  dawn,  the  meridian,  and  the  evening 
before  the  sun  sets  and  the  night  closes  in. 

The  conversation  was  never  allowed  to  flag ;  some- 


312  THROUGH   CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

how,  the  merest  everyday  chit-chat  seemed  to  gather 
weight  and  pungency  by  the  mode  of  utterance  :  a 
pointed  word,  a  look,  the  turn  of  a  sentence,  gave  to 
every  commonplace  phrase  an  attraction  and  a  meaning 
it  would  not  in  itself  possess.  Mr.  Longfellow  is  no 
egotist ;  he  evidently  does  not  care  to  talk  of  himself  or 
his  work.  He  is  full  of  that  modesty  which  generally 
characterizes  great  genius,  but  is  lamentably  wanting 
in  the  many  poetical  aspirants  who  are  buzzing  about 
the  world,  trying  their  wings  to  see  how  far  they  can 
soar  into  those  ideal  realms  where  true  genius  sits 
calmly  crowned.  Whatever  he  says  it  is  pleasant  to 
listen  to. 

During  the  few  brief  hours  of  a  first  acquaintance, 
it  is  rarely  we  get  into  a  very  deep  or  animated 
discussion  on  any  subject ;  we  must  first  get  the  key 
to  each  other's  minds,  and  become  en  rapport  with  each 
other's  feeling,  before  the  spirit  of  either  can  give  forth 
its  fullest,  freest  tones.  As  a  rule,  it  is  enough  to  skim 
the  surface  of  the  current  topics  of  the  day. 

We  sat  down  sociably  to  a  recherche  little  dinner,  the 
first  course  of  which  was  one  of  the  national  dishes, 
to  which  we  were  by  this  time  well  accustomed — clam 
chowder.  The  meal,  gastronomically  considered,  was 
on  strictly  international  principles ;  we  sipped  -the 
vintage  of  Champagne,  while  we  enjoyed  the  pork  and 
beans  of  Boston,  and  washed  down  corn-cobs  and 
hominy  with  mineral  waters  of  Germany. 

We  were  obliged  to  leave  Nahant  early,  as  the 
Boston  boat  was  at  the  pier,  and  time  and  tide  wait 
for  no  woman,  even  in  this  chivalrous  land.  Cordially 
and  regretfully  we  said  "  Good-bye."  The  dear  old 
man,  with  his  delightful  family  group,  stood  in  the 


FAREWELL   VISITS.  313 

verandah,  shading  his  eyes  from  the  setting  sun, 
watching  till  we  were  out  of  sight.  He  is  photo- 
graphed on  my  mind  ;  I  shall  see  him  often  in  days  to 
come,  as  I  looked  my  last  upon  him  then. 

The  next  day,  according  to  appointment,  we  paid 
a  visit  to  another  celebrity,  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 
who  has  made  himself  a  name  in  the  Old  World  as 
well  as  in  the  New.  He,  too,  was  residing  at  his 
country  cottage  at  "  Beverly  Farms,"  another  of  those 
delightful  rural  retreats  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston, 
being  little  more  than  an  hour's  railway  journey 
from  it.  BBT*  ' 

We  reached  Beverly  Farms  about  noon — the  fiercest, 
hottest  part  of  the  day.  We  had  no  idea  how  far  the 
Doctor's  residence  might  be  from  the  station,  but 
trusted  to  find  some  conveyance  to  take  us  there,  feel- 
ing that  it  would  be  an  effort  even  to  walk  a  hundred 
yards  in  the  heat  of  the  blazing  sun.  The  train 
steamed  away  from  the  platform,  and  we  looked  round 
in  search  of  some  one  of  whom  we  might  inquire  our 
road,  and  then  looked  blankly  at  one  another.  We 
had  no  idea  which  way  to  turn,  and  there  was  not  a 
creature  in  sight  to  tell  us.  We  walked  through  the 
empty  station ;  the  ticket  office  was  closed,  and  not 
a  railway  official  was  in  sight.  Only  a  big  black  dog 
was  lying  curled  up  under  one  of  the  benches ;  every 
other  living  thing  had  mysteriously  vanished.  Some 
labourers  were  working  in  a  field  not  far  from  the 
station,  and  we  noticed  a  pretty  white  cottage  close 
to  the  roadway  on  the  opposite  side — scarcely  a  stone's 
throw  from  us.  A  gentleman  in  a  linen  suit,  a  straw 
hat,  and  carrying  a  green  umbrella,  came  out  of  the 
gate  and  walked  quickly  towards  the  station ;  we 


314  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

advanced  to  meet  him,  and  inquired  if  he  could  tell  us 
where  Dr.  Holmes  lived  ? 

"I  am  Dr.  Holmes,"  he  answered,  "and  you,  I 
presume,  are  the  ladies  I  was  hurrying  to  meet  ?  "  We 
acknowledged  that  we  believed  we  were.  He  turned 
back  with  us,  and  in  another  moment  we  all  three 
entered  the  garden  which  we  had  seen  him  leave  a 
moment  before.  It  was  a  pleasant  first  introduction, 
and  here  we  scored  another  delightful  day.  We  found 
Dr.  Holmes  a  most  genial  and  agreeable  companion- 
exactly,  as  from  reading  his  books,  we  had  expected  he 
would  be.  He  is  neither  tall  nor  short,  but  of  medium 
height ;  a  thin,  wiry  man,  with  iron-gray  hair,  and  eyes 
twinkling  with  humour  and  philosophy.  Age  has  not 
dimmed  their  lustre,  nor  taken  the  spring  from  his 
elastic  spirit ;  he  is  as  brisk  in  his  movements  as  many 
a  man  at  five-and-twenty.  Mrs.  Holmes,  a  gentle- 
mannered  lady,  just  the  wife  necessary  for  such  a 
man — one  who  would  make  his  home  a  harbour  of  rest 
and  peace — came  out  to  meet  and  welcome  us.  It  is 
always  pleasant  to  see  a  genius  and  philosopher  well 
matched  in  his  life's  companionship  ;  unfortunately, 
we  have  so  often  to  look  on  the  reverse'  picture.  The 
right  woman  is  an  inspiration  to  the  one,  a  study  for 
the  other ;  but  the  wrong  acts  like  an  irritant  and 
blister,  his  whole  life  through.  We  were  presently 
joined  by  his  daughter — a  brilliant  young  widow,  a 
feminine  edition  of  himself.  Altogether  we  made  a 
very  pleasant  party,  and  soon  floated  off  into  a  brisk 
conversation.  I  wish  I  could  reproduce  his  spirited, 
quaintly-turned  phrases  and  quick  repartee,  to  which 
the  expression  of  his  face  gave  additional  point  and 
high  flavour.  I  think  the  most  dryasdust  doctrine 


FAREWELL   VISITS.  315 

would  quicken  into  life  if  passed  through  the  alembic 
of  his  sparkling  philosophy. 

It  is  not  often  that  poetry  and  philosophy  go  hand 
in  hand  together  as  in  this  case  it  does.  Dr.  Holmes 
seems  surprised  to  find  himself  so  much  more  famous 
in  this  country  for  his  prose  works  and  philosophical 
studies  than  for  his  poetical  productions.  Scientific 
research  and  semi-philosophical  lectures  and  literature 
are  the  occupations  of  his  daily  life,  but  poetry  is  the 
darling  of  his  heart,  the  beloved  companion  of  his 
holiday  hours,  the  airy  architect  who  builds  for  his 
spirit  a  home  we  know  not  of.  We  retired  to  luncheon 
in*  a  pretty  parlour  looking  out  into  the  flower-garden, 
where  the  bees  were  droning  and  the  tall  lilies  and 
roses  nodding  sleepily  in  the  sunshine.  He  seemed 
very  much  interested  in  our  intonation,  and  frequently 
called  attention  to  our  mode  of  pronouncing  certain 
words.  He  afterwards  read  to  us  some  scraps  and 
snatches  of  his  new  poems,  which  was  a  great  treat  to 
us,  for  he  has  a  melodious  voice,  and  reads  with  great 
emphasis  and  spirit ;  indeed,  we  were  so  deeply  en- 
grossed by  his  brilliant  conversations  that  we  almost 
lost  our  train.  With  much  regret  we  bade  him  and 
his  family  a  cordial  adieu. 

There  was  one  more  visit  to  pay,  and  that  the  last. 
Time,  the  great  "  whipper-in,"  was  behind  us,  bidding 
us  gather  our  energies  together,  for  we  must  soon — too 
soon — bid  adieu  to  the  New  World,  and  turn  our  faces 
homeward  towards  the  old  land.  The  next  day  we 
started  to  pay  a  visit  to  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  whose 
fame  as  the  most  beautiful,  select,  and  fashionable  water- 
ing-place in  America  had  long  been  familiar  to  us.  It 
is  only  about  four  hours'  rail  from  Boston.  Our  host 


316  THROUGH    CITIES    AND    PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

and  hostess  met  us  at  the  station,  and  we  were  too  much 
occupied  in  conversing  with  them  to  take  much  notice 
of  the  town  as  we  drove  through  it ;  we  made  closer 
acquaintance  with  it  afterwards.  A  half-hour's  drive 
took  us  through  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  the  busi- 
ness quarters,  and  past  the  "  old  mill "  which  stands  in 
a  wide,  open  square.  Some  say  it  is  a  relic  left  by  the 
Norsemen  who  once  overran  the  land,  and  others  assert 
that  it  was  built  by  the  earliest  colonists  centuries  ago  ; 
but  nobody  knows  exactly  when  it  was  built,  nor  what 
was  its  use.  It  is  a  massive  stone  tower,  with  no 
visible  means  of  entrance  ;  it  must  have  been  entered 
by  scaling-ladders  from  without.  It  is  now  a  ruin,  by 
no  means  a  picturesque  one,  but  it  is  the  only  ancient 
relic  on  the  island,  and  the  people  are  proud  of  it ; 
they  seem  to  have  a  vested  interest  in  its  antiquity, 
and  regard  it  as  a  sort  of  illustration  of  their  history 
and  of  themselves.  Past  this  ancient  monument, 
through  a  pleasant  winding  road,  with  charming  villa 
residences,  and  shady  trees  on  either  side,  and  we  turn 
through  a  pair  of  handsome  iron  gates  into  some  beau- 
tifully laid  out  grounds  ;  a  miniature  park,  indeed,  with 
clumps  of  fine  old  trees  of  the  most  rare  and  varied 
descriptions,  and  evergreens  and  shrubs  of  the  choicest 
kind,  all  so  arranged  that  the  foliage  of  one  should  con- 
trast artistically  with  that  of  the  other.  We  roll  through 
a  long,  curving  drive,  and  in  another  moment  stop 
before  an  old-fashioned  red-brick  mansion,  with  gabled 
front  and  pointed  roof,  which  might  have  been  lifted 
bodily  up,  and  transplanted  thither  from  some  ancient 
English  manor.  The  house  in  its  general  style  and 
all  its  arrangements  was  purely  English,  and  both  host 
and  hostess  were  simply  perfect,  and  combined  the  re- 


FAREWELL   VISITS.  317 

fined  courtesy  of  our  country  with  the  lavish  liberality 
and  genial  hospitality  of  their  own.  It  is  the  same  in 
quality  and  degree  in  most  American  houses  ;  there  is 
no  stiffness  or  formality,  but  that  peculiar  kind  of  good 
breeding  and  bonhommie  which  makes  the  transient 
guest  feel  most  perfectly  at  home.  There  is  nothing 
fast,  frivolous,  or  shoddy  about  Newport ;  only  the 
creme  de  la  creme  of  American  society  congregates 
there ;  the  fun-loving,  vulgar  herd,  with  their  holiday 
squibs  and  crackers,  hold  no  orgies  on  its  sacred  shores. 
The  floating  population  is  clothed  (metaphorically 
speaking)  in  broadcloth  and  fine  linen ;  it  takes  up  its 
abode  for  a  night  or  so  at  the  one  solitary  and  rather 
gloomy-looking  hotel,  and  passes  away. 

Newport  proper,  that  is  the  lower,  older  portion 
of  the  town,  is  a  dull,  ragged,  out-at-elbows  sort  of 
place ;  it  looks  tired  and  worn  out,  as  though  it  had 
had  its  day,  and  wanted  rest.  Indeed,  it  has  been 
busy  and  bright  enough  in  its  time.  A  century  ago 
it  was  a  bustling  seaport ;  scores  of  ships  were  riding 
at  anchor  in  the  bay ;  the  wharves  were  crowded  with 
merchandise,  and  sailors  from  all  parts  of  the  world 
wandered  to  and  fro,  creating  a  confusion  of  tongues, 
and  perhaps  a  confusion  of  morals  at  the  same  time. 
All  is  lonely  and  deserted  now ;  the  wharves  are  dila- 
pidated, rotting  away ;  a  few  broken  boats  are  hauled 
up  on  shore,  and  children  play  at  hide-and-seek  amid 
the  ruins  of  the  old  dead  days. 

The  fashionable  Newportians  reside  in  the  upper 
portion  of  the  town,  which  grows  along  the  face  of 
the  cliff,  and  is  held  sacred  to  themselves.  Lodging- 
houses  or  "  genteel  apartments  "  are  things  unknown. 
Only  the  aristocracy  of  the  surrounding  States  gather 


318  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

here  ;  people  of  culture,  of  refinement,  and  of  wealth. 
There  are  no  flashily  dressed  people  or  Brummagem 
buildings  in  Newport,  but  a  solid,  substantial  dignity 
greets  you  everywhere.  The  road  from  the  lower 
town  winds  upwards  through  a  labyrinth  of  lovely 
cottages,  covered  with  vines  and  trailing  roses,  past 
an  ancient  Jewish  burial-ground,  which  has  received 
no  silent  inmates  for  many  a  long  year.  It  is  kept 
in  perfect  order,  and  looks  like  a  blooming  flower- 
garden,  funds  for  this  purpose  having  been  left  by  a 
deceased  Rabbi.  The  old  synagogue,  gray  and  hoary, 
stands  in  the  midst,  deserted,  haunted  only  by  the 
echoes  of  departed  days. 

By  this  pretty  winding  way  you  reach  the  high- 
way, if  such  a  commonplace  term  can  be  applied  to 
such  a  royal  road.  It  is  a  fashionable  thoroughfare 
and  general  drive,  about  two  miles  and  a  half  long, 
bordered  on  either  side  along  the  whole  route  by 
tasteful  villas.  Some,  indeed,  are  quite  palatial  resi- 
dences ;  every  one  is  a  specimen  of  architectural 
beauty ;  each  bears  a  sort  of  family  resemblance  to  the 
other,  but  no  two  are  exactly  alike.  Never  was  such 
a  wealth  of  architectural  attractions  gathered  on  one 
spot.  Along  the  whole  line  one  beautiful  dwelling 
rises  after  another,  till  your  mind  becomes  a  jumble  of 
points  and  arches,  cupolas  and  towers ;  and  you  don't 
know  which  to  admire  most.  One  part  of  the  houses 
faces  seaward,  the  other  fronts  the  road,  which  during 
the  season  is  crowded  with  handsome,  well-appointed 
equipages,  which  would  do  credit  to  Longchamps  or 
Rotten  Row.  The  ladies  sit  in  their  verandahs 
reading,  chatting,  or  working,  as  the  case  may  be,  and 
watch  their  friends  "  go  riding  by."  The  air,  laden 


FAREWELL   VISITS.  319 

with  the  salt  sea-breeze,  is  soft  and  salubrious  ;  there 
is  generally  a  sea-wind  blowing  inland,  which  tempers 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  renders  Newport  delightful 
when  the  cities  are  unendurable. 

This  is  our  last  resting-place  in  America.  Our 
holiday  is  over ;  the  time  has  come  when  we  must  turn 
our  faces  homeward.  No  more  lingering  by  the  way, 
110  more  rolling  over  prairie  lands,  or  lounging  by 
inland  seas.  Regretfully,  yet  not  wholly  regretful,  we 
say  good-bye  to  Newport,  spend  half  an  hour  in 
Boston,  then  on  through  Canada,  a  twenty-four  hours' 
journey  to  Quebec.  We  pass  through  long  flat  stretches 
of  country,  where  Nature  seems  to  have  exerted  herself 
to  show  how  dull,  dreary,  and  monotonous  she  could 
have  made  the  world  if  she  had  only  tried.  Everything 
is  brown,  dusty,  and  parched  with  the  hot  thirsty  sun, 
which  seems  to  have  drawn  every  drop  of  moisture  from 
the  poor  old  earth.  Occasionally  we  catch  a  glimpse  of 
a  lazy,  sluggish  stream,  creeping  along  as  though  it  was 
trying  to  hide  itself  from  the  fierce  blaze  above.  We 
were  glad,  when  the  night  closed  in,  to  get  into  our 
comfortable  berth,  and  shut  our  eyes  on  the  dreary 
landscape.  At  seven  next  morning  we  reached  Point 
Levis,  and  were  ferried  across  to  Quebec,  where  our 
vessel  lay  at  anchor. 

The  cathedral  bells  are  ringing,  and  the  sound  of 
their  musical  chime  comes  to  us  pleasantly  across  the 
water  ;  we  look  once  more  upon  the  shining  roofs  and 
gilded  spires  pricking  the  pale  morning  sky.  -  We 
should  have  liked  one  more  ramble  through  the  quaint 
old  streets,  but  the  Sardinian  lies  at  the  quay,  ready 
to  start,  the  smoke  coiling  up  from  her  great  red 
funnel,  her  huge  prow  rising  like  the  wall  of  a  house 


320  THROUGH    CITIES    AND   PRAIRIE    LANDS. 

from  the  sluggish  water  that  splashes  slowly  against 
her  sides.  There  is  bustle  on  the  decks,  which  are  all 
swept  and  garnished  in  readiness  for  the  advent  of  the 
coming  passengers.  Our  good  captain's  genial  voice 
hails  us  on  the  gangway ;  the  well-remembered  faces 
of  the  ship's  officers  smile  a  welcome  to  us  as  we  pass 
along  the  deck ;  last,  not  least,  our  kindly  stewardess 
meets  and  marshals  us  to  our  cosy  little  state-room. 
In  the  saloon — which  is  gay  with  ferns  and  flowers  and 
polished  plate  and  shining  glass — the  ship's  canary, 
the  pet  alike  of  officers  and  passengers,  is  trilling  his 
loudest  and  sweetest.  All  is  smiling,  bright,  and 
cheery,  as  we  take  up  our  quarters  in  the  little  floating 
world,  which  was  so  pleasant  a  nine-days'  home  to  us 
a  year  ago,  and  is  now  to  be  so  once  more. 

An  hour  afterwards,  the  shining  spires  of  Quebec 
have  faded  from  our  sight,  we  are  steaming  down  the 
mighty  St.  Lawrence,  and  our  faces  are  set  for  England 
and  for  Home ! 


THE    END. 


PRINTED    BY   WILLIAM    CLOWES   AND    SONS,    LIMITED,    LONDON    AND    BECCLES. 


n,  HENRIETTA  STREET,  COVENT  GARDEN,    W.C. 
(Late  193,  Piccadilly,  W.) 

JUNE,  1881. 


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30  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY 

•SOLID  MODELS,  &c.— Continued. 

the  body  of  the  obelisk)  3  feet  high  ;  i  Pyramid,  6  inches  base  ;  the  complete 
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Dicotyledon 


OJIVJblUJN. 

3  Angiospermous 
(.  Gymnospermou 


SECTION. 
'  Thalamifloral 

2&3 

4 


\  Incomplete 


f  Petaloid      .  .         .  .  f  Superior 


etao          .  .         .  .       uperor 
Monocotyledons        .  .  •]  (,  Inferior  .  . 


(  Glumaceous 


7 


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1.  THE  SKELETON  AND  LIGAMENTS. 

2.  THE  MUSCLES,  JOINTS,  AND  ANIMAL  MECHANICS. 

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4.  THE  MUSCLES,  Back  View. 

ZOOLOGICAL : 


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6.  THE  MUSCLES,  Side  View. 

7.  THE    FEMALE    SKELETON, 

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THE    FORTNIGHTLY    REVIEW. 

Edited   by  JOHN    MORLEY. 

FORTNIGHTLY  REVIEW  is  published  on  the  ist  of 
every  month  (the  issue  on  the  1 5th  being  suspended),  and  a  Volume  is 
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The  following  are  among  the  Contributors : — 


SIR  RUTHERFORD  ALCOCK. 
MATHEW.  ARNOLD. 
PROFESSOR  BAIN. 
PROFESSOR  BEESLY. 
DR.  BRIDGES. 

HON.  GEORGE  C.  BRODRICK 
SIR  GEORGE  CAMPBELL,  M.P. 
J.  CHAMBERLAIN,  M.P. 
PROFESSOR  SIDNEY  COLVIN. 
MONTAGUE  COOKSON,  Q.C. 
L.  H.  COURTNEY,  M.P. 
G.  H.  DARWIN. 
F.  W.  FARRAR. 
PROFESSOR  FAWCETT,  M.P. 
EDWARD  A.  FREEMAN. 
MRS.  GARRET-ANDERSON. 
M.  E.  GRANT  DUFF,  M.P. 
THOMAS  HARE. 
F.  HARRISON. 
LORD  HOUGHTON. 
PROFESSOR  HUXLEY. 
PROFESSOR  JEVONS. 
EMILE  DE  LAVELEYE. 
T.  E.  CLIFFE  LESLIE. 
RIGHT  HON.  R.  LOWE,  M.P. 
SIR  JOHN  LUBBOCK,  M.P. 


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SIR  H.  S.  MAINE. 
DR.  MAUDSLEY. 
PROFESSOR  MAX  MULLER. 
PROFESSOR  HENRY  MORLEY. 
G.  OSBORNE  MORGAN,  Q.C.,M.P. 
WILLIAM  MORRIS. 
F.  W.  NEWMAN. 
W.  G.  PALGRAVE. 
WALTER  H.  PATER. 
RT.  HON.  LYON  PLAYFAIR,  M.P. 
DANTE  GABRIEL  ROSSETTI. 
HERBERT  SPENCER. 
HON.  E.  L.  STANLEY. 
SIR  J.  FITZJAMES  STEPHEN,  Q.C. 
LESLIE  STEPHEN. 
J.  HUTCHISON  STIRLING. 
A.  C.  SWINBURNE. 
DR.  VON  SYBEL. 
J.  A.  SYMONDS. 
W.  T.  THORNTON. 
HON.  LIONEL  A.  TOLLEMACHE. 
ANTHONY  TROLLOPS. 
PROFESSOR  TYNDALL. 
THE  EDITOR. 
&c.  &c.  &c. 


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CHARLES  DICKENS  AND  EVANS,] 


[CRYSTAL  PALACE  PRESS. 


